Once Upon a Dream
by pingo1387
Summary: AU. Zoro, a prince cursed to fall into deep sleep in his twentieth year, unwittingly meets someone in his dreams who sparks all sorts of feelings. ZoSan, based on "Sleeping Beauty" by Charles Perrault.
1. O Rosto De Um Assassino

**Heyo! There are some French words here and there, so I'll put translations at the bottom as needed. (Title of this chapter is Portuguese for "The Face of an Assassin.")**

* * *

A grand brass fanfare from the royal musicians began the ceremony. As custom went, the great throne room was hushed by the time the trumpets were lowered. The place was filled with townsfolk and castle servants alike, all come to celebrate the birth of the new royal baby.

A cough came from the left side of the throne where the King sat. A servant unrolled a scroll, stepped forward, and coughed again.

"We are gathered here today," he said in a squeaky voice, "to celebrate the birth of the newest member of the royal family, le prince Zoro."

He glanced briefly at the cradle in the center of the room, guarded on either side by two tough-looking individuals. Despite the earlier noise, the baby was fast asleep.

The servant coughed again. "Before we begin, however, we shall commemorate the recent passing of our chère reine, whose body was far too frail for an onslaught of illness shortly after childbirth. If you please, kind folk, a moment of silence."

He put his scroll aside and, along with the others crowding the grand room, lowered his head. The King clasped his hands together and closed his eyes, and the three figures standing to his right respectfully lowered their heads.

It was perhaps a minute before the servant coughed and everyone lifted their heads expectantly.

His speech on ceremonies and the like was long and dull, and many found themselves almost nodding off, including the speaker himself. It was only when a guard jabbed the speaker with a spear that he jolted awake.

"Er—and now, I am pleased to present . . ." he said, frantically going through his scroll, "these Mesdames and Monsieur, faeries personally invited by le roi Mihawk."

He stepped back to his place and gestured for the three on King Mihawk's right to come forward. Surprised and pleased murmurs ran throughout the crowd. Each faery wore similarly-styled dresses and bonnets with their own colors.

"We must thank His Majesty for inviting us," the one in red said cheerfully. He had a small scar under his left eye and tousled black hair. "This has been a wonderful festivity—and the food is exquisite, my compliments to the chefs . . ."

One of his companions, whose clothes were all in soft oranges, hit him from behind. "Mind your manners, now is not the time," she hissed. Her hair looked so similar to her outfit and was braided back. Laughter rippled throughout the room.

The last faery had yet to speak, but she seemed to have nothing to say, for she only smiled nervously in her pale gold outfit and stayed where she was. Her hair, in contrast to her clothes, was light blue and braided back like her companion's. While both her companions had fair skin, her complexion was dark like the fruit of a cacao tree.

"In any case," the one in red said. He curtsied, first to Mihawk, and then to the crowds. "I am Luffy."

His orange-haired companion stepped forward and curtsied in the same fashion. "I am Nami."

The last one came forward and performed the same actions. "I am Vivi."

"We're honored to bestow our magic upon le prince Zoro during this wonderful event," Nami announced, "in order to demonstrate and strengthen our alliance with this kingdom and the royal family."

She stepped back and Luffy moved forward so he stood in front of the cradle. He smiled fondly at the sleeping child and slid a thin wooden rod out of his sleeve, grasping it firmly by one end.

He raised his wand and aimed it carefully at Prince Zoro. The crowd quieted in anticipation.

"Sweet royal child, I grant, with mien: Hair of only the loveliest green," he announced.

Something like iridescent, intangible powder shot out of the wand-tip and settled over the baby, who slept on. Murmurs and laughter rippled throughout the crowd.

Nami strode forward and yanked Luffy's ear. "What are you doing?" she hissed. " _Green_ hair?"

Luffy stared at her. Suddenly his eyes widened and he turned to Mihawk, curtsying quickly.

"My apologies," he said hurriedly. "I meant to say 'Hair of only the loveliest sheen,' but my mind was elsewhere—"

Mihawk pinched the bridge of his nose and was silent for several seconds.

"Oh, who knows," he muttered at last. "He may look fine with green hair."

"You don't mind?" Luffy said tentatively.

"I could care less, Monsieur Luffy," Mihawk said. "At the very least, it will not be hard to pick him out in a crowd."

His lips twitched under that pointed mustache as if about to smile. There was further laughter from the crowd and Luffy smiled, relieved.

Nami sighed and came forward to stand in front of the cradle now. She, too, slid her wand out of her sleeve and aimed it carefully.

"Mon prince Zoro, I give thee: Great skill with sword, with thrust and parry," she announced. There was a smattering of applause from those gathered as the iridescent cloud, similar to Luffy's before, shot out and settled over Zoro. Nami stepped back with a smile as Mihawk nodded in approval.

And now Vivi slowly came forward and slid out her wand—

But before she could speak, the grand doors of the throne room flew open with a _BANG_ , and many cried out in shock. The faeries whirled to the front, on guard; Mihawk sat forward tensely while the guards readied their blades.

A figure strode across the room, wrapped up in thick shawl and cloak with a cloth covering the head.

"Declare yourself," Mihawk said coolly. "Who dares have the nerve to interrupt this ceremony?"

The figure stopped in front of Mihawk, facing away from the cradle. Vivi backed away to stand by Nami and Luffy, and all three raised their wands defensively. In turn, the guards had their blades aimed at the figure on either side.

With a sudden motion, the clothes were removed, revealing a slender feminine figure with long dark hair and deep eyes. Underneath all that cloth she wore nothing but silken fabric tied around herself. She held a dangerous beauty about her, like a rose patch or a siren's voice.

"That would be me, mon roi," she said pleasantly, though her voice carried frost. "And now I say, _you_ dare have the nerve not only to not extend an invitation to me for this lovely ceremony, but to outright tell me I am not to come?"

"Hancock, what are you doing?" Nami exclaimed.

"Nami, don't interrupt," Hancock said coolly. "I'm not in good humor at the moment, if you hadn't noticed."

Yet she sent a smile Luffy's way before turning back to Mihawk with a scowl.

"Yes, temptress, I bade you stay away," Mihawk said coldly. "Why have you come?"

"I don't take kindly to being kept away from parties, mon cher roi," she said coolly. "And to tell me outright I am not invited . . . how very rude."

"Guards, seize her," Mihawk ordered, standing. The guards on either side of Hancock approached her with raised blades—

She turned suddenly to the one on her left and stared at them. Her body shifted and warped; now her waist was thinner and her hips wider, though her stomach stuck out a tad more than before. Her face, too, shifted so it was square-jawed, and her hair seemed to curl itself into waves. A dizzying aura seemed to emit from her very being.

"You wouldn't hurt me, would you?" she murmured, running a finger down the guard's cheek. Their legs trembled as they stared at her, lovestruck; she leaned in, staring into their eyes, and whispered, "Sleep."

The guard sank to the floor uselessly; Hancock turned to the second one, who trembled but stared at her defiantly.

"I see," she murmured, and her body changed again. This time her chest flattened, her stomach shrank into itself and became defined with muscles, her hair shortened to her shoulders, and her hips became narrower along with her chin.

This new masculine figure, along with the dizzying aura she emitted, drew a blush to the second guard's face. She smiled and they dropped their weapon.

"Sleep," she ordered, and this guard, too, crumpled. Hancock slowly shifted back to her original form, looking with disdain at the fallen two. The crowds stayed well back, though some were struck by her beauty even without that aura or shapeshifting.

"Hancock," Luffy said. "What did you do?"

Hancock looked at him, and he stared at her with confusion and concern.

"My darling," she said fondly, "you shouldn't underestimate the things I will do to exact revenge."

She turned back to face Mihawk, but found herself facing a swordpoint instead.

"Leave this place," Mihawk ordered, keeping his blade aimed at her throat. "Though I am sure I could not kill you, I could incapacitate you and have you taken away. Remove yourself from the premises at once, I command you."

She frowned at him and took a step back. She splayed her palm outwards at him slowly, and he suddenly found himself unable to move.

"Stay back," she announced to the room at large, turning away from Mihawk. As the paralysis slowly began to wear off, she approached the cradle. Through all this, the baby remained asleep.

Hisses and murmurs spread through the crowd, though fearing her, no one came forward.

"For _my_ gift to this dear child," she said, pointing at the cradle, "I grant him this: When he reaches his twentieth birthday, he shall cut his hand on a blade, upon which death shall befall him."

Shocked cries and gasps now were heard from the crowds; some even burst into tears. The faeries stared at Hancock in shock, but she only looked back at Mihawk, who had recovered at last.

"I've used up what magic I gathered," she announced. "I shall not harm any others here, worry not."

He looked at her with icy fury, unable to even form words in his anger. She calmly went to stand by the faeries, who looked at her reproachfully.

Vivi cleared her throat. "Mon roi . . ."

Mihawk looked at her expectantly; the audience's cries died down again.

"I . . . cannot undo her curse," she admitted, twirling her wand in her hands. "But . . . I have the power . . . to greatly soften the outcome."

Mihawk nodded. "If you can save him from such a young death," he said, his voice surprisingly steady, "please, Madame Vivi . . ."

Vivi nodded and stepped forward to the cradle resolutely, raising her wand.

"Cher prince," she said, her voice shaking, "to thee, this gift I imburse . . . to save thee from the succubus's curse; thou shalt not die from the cut of blade, but to a deep sleep thou shalt be laid; and sleep thou shalt, in peace like this, until thou art awoken by true love's kiss."

The iridescent cloud, like before, shot out of the wand and settled over the baby. Vivi turned to Hancock defiantly, who only narrowed her eyes.

"It's not like I could do anything now if I wanted to," she admitted, "but I suppose this is punishment enough . . ." she looked again at Mihawk. "To see your expression after my words . . ."

Mihawk ignored her and clapped his hands. "The ceremony has ended," he announced. "I extend my thanks to everyone for attending, and I must apologize for this sour finish. Good night, my people, and I thank you once again."

Slowly the audience filed out; some had wished to talk to the faeries, but did not dare do so with Hancock nearby.

When the last person had left and the doors were shut, Mihawk sat down hard on his throne. He sighed.

"Madame Vivi, you have my deepest thanks," he murmured. "I will not lose him so soon after all . . ."

Vivi curtsied. "It was the least I could do," she murmured.

"True love's kiss," Hancock said idly. "What exactly does that entail?"

"It's simple, Madame Hancock," Vivi said softly. "When le prince Zoro falls into the enchanted sleep, one who loves him dearly must only kiss him in order to break the spell."

"Of course, this could be anyone who loves him," Nami added. "Mon roi, you could do it yourself, if you do not grow to hate your own son."

Mihawk nodded. "Yes, it seems simple."

Luffy frowned at Hancock again. "Can I talk to you?"

"Oh, Luffy darling, you can talk to me anytime," Hancock said, smiling at him; a genuine smile, not the false one she had used before.

"Luffy, Hancock, I think we should go," Nami said. "You two can talk when we return to la Colline." She turned to Mihawk and curtsied. "Mon roi, thank you again for inviting us."

Vivi and Luffy curtsied as well, and Hancock offered a bow in turn.

"Thank you for your gifts," Mihawk said cordially, standing and hugging the three faeries in farewell. He ignored Hancock.

"Very well then, let us be on our way," Nami announced. She led the other three down the room's length and out the grand doors.

As the doors closed softly, the guards began to wake, and the infant in the crib began to cry.

* * *

The four pushed past the curtain-like hanging vines which covered the cave entrance. After setting aside their clothes and hats, they set off down the lamplit passage.

"We've returned," Luffy announced, heading into a room on the right.

Sitting at a round wooden table were three figures. The one to the right had a feminine form and a complexion like Vivi's, though her nose was defined, a blindfold was tied around where her eyes should have been, and her hair was dark, thick, and wild. The one to the left had a masculine figure with slightly darker skin; the hair upon his head was kinked and puffed out like a sphere, and his throat bore jagged scars.

These two had their hands comfortingly upon the figure in the middle, whose figure could be called neither masculine nor feminine. Their skin and curled hair were fair, and their small hands covered their face. A metal helmet rested upon their head, and angelic wings were folded upon their back.

"Is this a bad time?" Vivi murmured, coming out from behind Luffy. She sat next to the snake-haired woman. "Madame Robin, Monsieur Brook, Ser Merry . . ."

"Good day, Vivi," Robin murmured. She kept her face turned to the middle. "Merry, how do you fare?"

"Well," Merry murmured, uncovering their face and revealing dry tear-tracks. "Thank you kindly, Madame, Monsieur."

Robin smiled and Brook nodded.

"You're all back, then?" Robin asked, lifting her head. "Vivi, Luffy, and . . . ?"

"I'm here as well," Nami announced, sitting next to Vivi; Luffy sat cheerfully next to Brook. "And . . . Hancock's returned with us."

Robin frowned faintly as Hancock sat next to Luffy. "Hancock, why did you go out?"

"Oh, I had something to take care of," Hancock said carelessly.

"She attempted to have the child killed," Nami announced.

Robin turned her sightless gaze on Hancock. "Whatever for?"

"Oh, worry not," Hancock muttered. "Vivi here decided to interfere."

"I only adjusted the curse," Vivi explained, "so he will sleep instead of die. He will eventually wake." She looked reproachfully at Hancock. "Madame Hancock, you know how fickle magic can be; that was risky in the first place."

Brook nodded thoughtfully and Merry sighed with relief.

"Hancock," Robin murmured. " _How_ did you attempt to curse the child?"

Hancock folded her arms. "Why should I tell you?"

"Right, I wanted to speak with you," Luffy remembered. "Would you like to go to a private room, or is here acceptable?"

"Oh, anywhere you want, my darling," Hancock exclaimed, suddenly all sweetness and smiles.

"Well, I suppose here is fine, since Robin wants to know, too," Luffy said. "Hancock, just _where_ did you get enough magic to perform such a powerful curse?"

The others were expectantly quiet. Hancock's smile faded.

"You know how I gain my power," she murmured.

Luffy looked at her in concern. "But you . . . it must have been awful. Why would you torture yourself like that . . . ?"

Hancock grimaced. "Of course it was awful," she whispered. "I hated every second. But you know I would go to any lengths to exact revenge."

"How do you fare now?" Merry asked with a touch of concern.

"I can sleep this away," Hancock replied, not quite answering the question.

"Hey . . ." Luffy murmured. "Hancock, please, don't force yourself to do it any more than you need to. Revenge isn't worth it."

"Isn't it?" she said. She stood. "I shall retire for now. Do not disturb me."

She strode out of the room, suddenly looking very tired.

"It was her own fault," Nami muttered. She stood. "Usopp and Franky are in their room, I suppose? I need to speak with them; I collected metals on our return trip."

She, too, left the room.

"Where is Chopper?" Vivi asked.

Robin smiled fondly. "Oh, he's out in the woods again, practicing his transformations . . ."

Vivi smiled. "Is that so?"

"He promised to return by sundown," Merry piped up.

"I'll join him," Vivi said, standing. "Perhaps he'd like to hear about the ceremony . . ."

"Oh, you three, would you like to hear it as well?" Luffy exclaimed as Vivi left. They nodded.

As he began telling the story, Nami entered another room. Two figures rested in front of a glowing fireplace. Both had masculine figures, short statures, and weathered skin. The one on the left had scars around his ears and shoulders, a long nose, and hair like Brook's, though his was tied back. His companion held blue hair which seemed to defy gravity, and his nose, along with a rod where his shin and foot used to be, was made of shiny metal.

Nami stood between them and they looked up.

"'Lo, Nami," the blue-haired one grunted. The long-nosed one hastily grabbed a curious metallic semi-circular thing, which he hooked into his ears and around the back of his head.

"Franky," she said in greeting. She turned towards Usopp and said, enunciating clearly, "Usopp, how now?"

"I'm well," Usopp responded, perhaps a tad louder than necessary.

Nami waved her wand. The metals she had collected appeared in a pile on the floor, which Usopp and Franky looked at with delight. Both quickly gave their thanks.

"If you two like," she said, still facing Usopp, "I can tell you of the ceremony. It was eventful, to say the least . . ."

Not far outside the cave, Vivi peeked around a tree and spotted a small creature, something like a raccoon on two legs.

"One more try," the raccoon thing said to itself. It placed a leaf upon its head, took a deep breath, and clasped its little paws together.

A minute passed, and then, in a sudden puff of smoke, the creature was gone. In its place stood someone with a feminine figure, with dark skin and blue hair—and a puffy tail on the behind.

"I did it!" the figure exclaimed, and turned around. Suddenly spotting Vivi, there was a squeak of surprise and the raccoon creature was back in a puff of smoke, the leaf fluttering to the ground. From the front, it was clear the creature had a blue nose.

"Vivi, you startled me," the creature exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," Vivi said. She smiled broadly. "You did it, Chopper!"

Chopper grinned and ran to her, jumping into her arms. "I did it," he said happily. "But . . . my tail was still there . . ."

"That's okay," Vivi said reassuringly. "It was a very good impression of me—that was supposed to be me, wasn't it?"

Chopper grinned shyly. "It was."

"The nose was still blue," Vivi added. "Not to discourage you . . ."

"Oh," Chopper murmured. "Well . . . I'll work on that. How did the ceremony go?"

Vivi sighed. "Let's sit somewhere, I'll tell you then . . ."

* * *

King Mihawk sat by his child's crib. Midnight had long since passed, but he found himself unable to sleep. In heavy contrast, his son, completely unaware and unbothered by the earlier commotion, slept without a care in the world.

"I can only hope," Mihawk whispered, "that should the event indeed come to pass . . . you may sleep as peacefully as you do now."

The baby turned over in his crib with a small noise. Mihawk sighed, stood, and left the chamber.

"Sleep well . . ."

* * *

 **Translations:**

 **(French nouns generally require an article, an adjective, or a possessive beforehand, which is why these are phrased as they are in context.)**

 **Le/La/Les = The**

 **Prince = Prince**

 **Cher/Chère = Dear**

 **Reine = Queen**

 **Madame = Mrs./Ms. (plural is Mesdames)**

 **Monsieur = Mr. (plural is Messieurs)**

 **Roi = King**

 **Mon/Ma/Mes = My**

 **Colline = Hill**

 **Ser = gender-neutral honorific (in this context), equivalent to Miss or Mister**

 **...**

 **More will be revealed about the ones at la Colline soon, but if you're very curious I wouldn't mind answering questions now.**

 **We'll be updating on Tuesdays!**


	2. Fourteen Residents

_Fifteen years later_

"Fin! The winner is le prince Zoro by five points!"

The small audience applauded as the competitors took off their masks. On the right was the butcher woman from the village who had offered the friendly challenge; on the left was Prince Zoro, who had grown into fine stature and strength. His features were tanned and chiseled, and his green hair stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Shake hands," King Mihawk ordered, for it was none other than he who had volunteered to oversee the duel. The two turned and shook hands firmly.

"You did well," Zoro said with a faint smile.

"Thank you, mon prince," the woman said gratefully. "You're quite gifted with a blade."

He nodded in turn. Soon the woman and the audience dispersed, and Mihawk approached Zoro in the middle of the courtyard.

"It's good to see your training hasn't gone to waste," he remarked.

"Yes," Zoro agreed, reaching up to adjust the earrings in his left ear. They had been a birthday gift for his thirteenth and he hadn't gone a day without them since.

"I'll return to my room, Father," Zoro continued, handing over his mask. "Thank you for supervising the duel."

Mihawk gave him a curt nod and Zoro headed back to the castle.

On his way to his room, he spotted _that_ girl again—a young thing wearing a skirt and a fancy shirt. Her hair was pink, and oddly enough, Zoro had once asked his father who she was, only to receive a confused, "Who are you talking about?" despite that she seemed to have been around the castle for many years.

"Hey!" he called, looking directly at her as she peered at him around the corner.

She gave a small shriek and disappeared around her corner. Zoro quickened his pace, but although he was not far from her, she had vanished completely by the time he looked around the wall. He shrugged, scratched his head, and continued on his way.

He finally reached his room and carefully closed the door behind him. He opened up his wardrobe and quickly changed out of his fencing outfit into his normal clothes. For years, servants had dressed him, but recently he had asked that he be allowed to dress himself from that point on.

Before putting a shirt on, Zoro went to his mirror and examined himself. He flexed his biceps and grinned to himself, twisting slightly to check out his backside.

"I'm sorry, did you want some privacy?"

He whipped around to see Luffy, Nami, and Vivi hovering in the open window. He quickly lowered his arms and covered his face.

"Er—if you'll give me a moment, I'll put my shirt on," he said awkwardly. He went back to his wardrobe and pulled out his shirt, quickly shoving his arms through the sleeves and popping his head through. As soon as he'd strapped his sword and sheath to his belt, he turned back as the three floated through his window—they each wore simple dresses in respect for human society.

Nami was smirking at Zoro, who looked away.

"Do you do that often when you're alone?" Luffy asked curiously.

"You didn't see anything."

"Of course not," Vivi said amicably. "How now, Monsieur Zoro?"

"I'm well, thank you," Zoro said, gathering himself. He cleared his throat. "And yourselves?"

"We're in good health, though that's nothing new," Luffy announced cheerfully, flipping himself so he hovered upside-down in the air. His dress fell down, covering his face and uncovering his petticoats.

Zoro smiled, the formalities dropped. "It's good to see you," he said. "Is there any special reason you've come?"

"We'll tell you in a moment," Nami reassured him. She smirked as she eyed his head. "Your hair's healthy as ever, I see."

Luffy giggled from under his dress. Zoro glanced at him oddly before smiling at Nami. "Yes, thank you. I do sometimes wonder how this color came about, but . . . I suppose I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"So your father hasn't told you yet?" Vivi asked, going to Luffy and lifting up his dress. He grinned at her upside-down.

"Pardon?"

"About your hair's color," Luffy clarified, rotating in the air so he was right-side-up once more.

"I have asked him, since his hair is dark," Zoro admitted. "But he said he didn't want to think about 'that day.'"

The faeries glanced around at each other.

"So you still haven't been told of . . ." Nami said slowly.

"Told of what?"

"Oh, never mind," she said quickly. "I suppose it should be up to le roi Mihawk to tell you. But we can tell you _some_ of what happened that day . . ."

"To get to the point," Luffy interrupted, "we'd like to invite you to come to la Colline."

Zoro's mouth popped open in surprise.

"Oh, you don't want to?" Nami asked in his silence, smiling innocently. "Why, that's such a shame; and after we told the others you would be coming . . ."

"I—no, of course—I accept!" Zoro exclaimed hastily.

"Then it's settled," Luffy said cheerfully. "Allons-y!"

"Not _yet_ ," Vivi said firmly. "Mon prince Zoro, do you need time to prepare yourself in any way before we go?"

"I—no, not at all," Zoro said. "Unless there are customs I should follow?"

"There are none," Nami said.

"Then we'll be off?" Luffy asked eagerly.

"Yes," Vivi said, smiling. "Madame Nami, Monsieur Luffy?"

Nami and Luffy flew over to Zoro on either side of him and seized his arms from underneath.

"Wait—" he said. "What exactly are you—?"

"Here we go!" Luffy exclaimed, and he and Nami lifted Zoro off the ground and shot out the window, carrying him between themselves.

* * *

"Zoro?"

King Mihawk opened the door to Zoro's room, only to find it empty. The window was open.

"I could have sworn I heard . . . well, it's not important," he muttered to himself, closing the door again as he left.

* * *

"We're here!"

Luffy and Nami gently set Zoro down in front of their home's entrance, Vivi just behind them. He quickly regained his footing.

"I would appreciate some warning next time," he muttered.

"Oh, sorry," Nami and Luffy said together without a trace of sincerity.

"So this is la Colline?" Zoro asked with interest, eyeing the vine-covered cave entrance in the hillside. All above and around the hill was thick forest.

"Yes, and the others look forward to meeting you," Vivi said. "Except for . . . er, never mind. If you would follow us?"

Zoro nodded and rested his right hand on his sword as they passed through the vine curtain and into the dimly-lit passage. Soon the faeries turned right into a room, but Zoro continued down the passage.

"Zoro, we're over here!" Luffy exclaimed, popping his head out. Zoro started and turned around, glancing away briefly. He quickly came back and followed Luffy through properly this time.

He came out in a large room, lit by torches on the walls. In the center was a large round table, where Nami, Vivi, and four others sat.

One had a feminine figure covered by a lovely violet dress; her skin and hair were dark, and the latter was untamed and thick; and a blindfold was tied around where her eyes should have been. The second had a tall masculine figure covered by a simple black suit; his skin, eyes, and hair (which was styled like a large sphere) were dark in their own respects; and jagged scars were clear upon his throat. The third's (rather short) figure could be called neither masculine nor feminine, and was covered by a white robe which ended just above their knees; they had a metal helmet on their fair, curled hair; their skin was likewise fair; and their eyes and smile were as bright as the angelic wings upon their back.

The fourth figure—and this made Zoro do a double-take—looked like Luffy in every way, save for the different dress, the blue-tinged nose, and the leaf upon his head.

"Uh," Zoro said intelligently, looking between the Luffy on his left and the Luffy at the table.

Both Luffys giggled.

The one with wild hair smiled. "What are you two up to?"

"Nothing," they said together innocently.

"Zoro, would you like to sit?" Nami asked. "Introductions are in order."

"Is something wrong?" the Luffy with the leaf on his head asked, grinning as Zoro sat down with the Luffy who had led him into the cave.

Zoro eyed this second Luffy grumpily, glancing between the two. They continued to ignore this.

"Zoro—may I call you Zoro?—I am called Robin," the woman said, smiling as she turned her face in Zoro's direction. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Zoro said, nodding briefly.

"I only wish I could see that hair of yours," Robin added regretfully. "I hear it's a sight to behold."

Zoro smiled, pleased. Luffy (the one next to him) coughed into his hand.

The tall one with spherical hair tapped the table to get Zoro's attention, smiled, and made several hand motions.

"Er," Zoro said awkwardly, for he had never learned the art of sign language.

"'Greetings, mon prince,'" Luffy translated. "'My name is Brook, and I would sing for joy upon meeting you at last—if I still had a voice!' . . . He says."

"Oh," Zoro said. He nodded. "It's good to meet you, too."

Brook grinned in return.

"Mon prince," the fair one said, smiling shyly. "I must echo the others; it's a pleasure to meet you at last. I am Merry."

"Likewise," Zoro said with a faint smile.

Finally he turned and eyed the blue-nosed Luffy with an irritated scowl. This figure held a smile in Zoro's direction for a good few seconds before looking a bit scared and ducking his head.

"Zoro, don't look so scary," Nami scolded.

Zoro gave her a look. "I _wouldn't_ if someone would tell me why there are two near-identical Luffys here!"

Robin hid a laugh behind her hand, having finally realized what was going on. "Now, Zoro, mind your manners," she said lightly, smiling. "Didn't your father ever teach you your pleases and thank yous?"

Zoro now narrowed his eyes at her (though she could not see it), half-convinced everyone there was out to get him.

"Whoops!" exclaimed the blue-nosed Luffy suddenly, just before there was a puff of smoke and he was gone. Zoro blinked and leaned over. Out of the suddenly limp dress crawled an odd creature. It looked like a raccoon, but somehow more dog-like, and was a bit pudgy. It had a puffy tail, stood on two legs, and, just like before, had a blue nose.

"Hi, Zoro," the raccoon-dog thing said, grinning. "I'm Chopper!"

"Nice to . . . meet you," Zoro said. "A shapeshifter?"

"Yes, I'm a tanuki," Chopper said proudly. He was even shorter than Merry.

"That explains it, then," Zoro said, though he still eyed Luffy grumpily. Luffy noticed and laughed.

"I didn't know Chopper was going to do that," he protested, grinning. He glanced at Chopper. "Nice job! You looked just like me! Except the nose . . ."

Chopper frowned. "I can never get that part right!"

Now Zoro smiled. "I'm sure you'll get it one day."

"D'you think so?" Chopper said, perking up.

Zoro nodded and glanced around at the others again. "This may be rude, but what are you?"

"Would you like to guess?" Robin asked politely. "Oh, two more should join us soon. They said they wanted to finish a project before coming out."

"I see," Zoro said. He eyed her. "Madame Robin—"

"Just Robin is fine."

". . . Robin, you wouldn't be a Gorgon?" Zoro scratched his head. "Then again, your hair . . ."

Robin smiled. "You're correct. Not all of us have snakes for hair . . . and I assure you there's no danger of becoming stone anymore."

"So that's why you wear the blindfold," Zoro murmured in understanding.

Robin grimaced now. "That's the short version, yes."

Zoro decided not to press her and turned to Merry. "You wouldn't be . . . an angel?" he said curiously.

Merry smiled. "I'm afraid not, mon prince," they said, "but you're very close!"

"You may have heard of Ser Merry's kind if you've traveled to the Norse lands," Vivi hinted quietly.

Zoro thought hard. It looked like it hurt. Finally he sighed and shrugged.

"Oh, you can't guess?" Merry said. "You must not be very bright—jest, I jest!" they exclaimed hastily at Zoro's sudden glare. "I'm a Valkyrie, mon prince."

"Oh," Zoro said in sudden understanding. "Come to think of it, that does sound familiar . . . you take the fallen to the afterlife?"

Merry nodded. "Yes," they said, a bit sadly. "It's not a pleasant task, but I do what I have to do . . . it can be difficult, and . . . taxing . . ."

They suddenly looked like they might cry.

"I, er, sorry," Zoro said quickly. "Are you—?"

"I'm fine," Merry said, smiling again. "Worry not."

"Merry is extraordinarily empathetic with each client," Robin explained, "and such strong emotions from the fallen are not always easy to handle."

Merry nodded. "I brought the former reine to the afterlife," they said.

"My mother?" Zoro said, taken aback.

"Yes," Merry said. "She is at peace, mon prince."

Zoro smiled at this. "I'm glad to hear it."

He now turned to Brook, and for a good while they stared at each other.

Then Zoro shrugged. "I give up," he said bluntly.

Brook scowled and signed something.

"'You aren't even going to guess?! Of all the nerve!' . . . He says," Nami translated.

Zoro tilted his head. "Perhaps . . . an incubus," he deadpanned.

Brook ducked his head and his shoulders shook with silent laughter. The others laughed along with him and Zoro grinned.

"Oh, speaking of incubi—or succubi, they're they same thing, really—" Luffy began cheerfully, but he suddenly cut himself off, glancing at the cavern's entrance. "Er, never mind. We'll get to that later."

Zoro side-eyed him and shrugged. "Whatever you say . . . in any case, Monsieur Brook . . ."

Brook signed something.

"'The 'Monsieur' isn't necessary, mon prince Zoro.' . . . He says," Vivi translated.

"In any case, Brook," Zoro repeated, "I still have no idea."

Chopper frowned at Brook. "Brook, how in the world is he supposed to guess when you can't speak?"

Brook snapped his fingers, stood, and opened his mouth as if singing, throwing one arm outwards.

"Singing," Zoro murmured. "A banshee?"

Brook gave him an indignant look.

"Was that wrong?"

Brook folded his arms grumpily.

"He's a siren," Robin said.

"Oh," Zoro said in surprise. "A siren who can't sing?"

"I'm a Gorgon who can't see," Robin pointed out. "Is that really so strange?"

Zoro shrugged. "That's a good point." He glanced at Brook, who was sitting again. "Sorry about the banshee guess. So you cannot sing . . . ?"

Brook shook his head and pointed to the scars on his throat. He held his hands near his head and made motions with one like he was moving something back and forth, proceeding to sign afterwards.

"'I cannot sing, but my violin playing is a performance to behold, if I do say so myself!' . . . He says," Luffy translated.

Zoro frowned. "Sirens lure sailors to their death, isn't that right? That's what I've heard. Why don't you live near the sea?"

Brook hesitated, then signed something.

"'It's a rather long story, mon prince. I will tell you another time.' . . . He says," Nami translated.

"Okay," Zoro agreed.

"'Lo," came a sudden voice from the entrance. Zoro turned to see two figures, only a head taller than Merry, come inside. Both had masculine figures and weathered skin. One had blue hair styled upwards, a nose made of metal, and a rod of similar material where one of his legs should have been. His companion had a rather long nose, scars around his ears and shoulders, and hair like Brook's, though his was tied back. He was fiddling with some semi-circular device, his brow creased as he sat with the blue-haired one at the table.

"How good of you to join us at last," Robin said, smiling.

"Hi," Chopper said cheerfully.

"You must be the famous Zoro," the blue-haired one said, turning to face Zoro and nodding. "I wouldn't know anyone else with hair like that. I'm called Franky."

"It's a pleasure," Zoro said politely. He glanced at Franky's companion. "Er . . ."

Franky tapped his companion's shoulder, who looked up, spotted Zoro, and grinned sheepishly. He held up a finger, lifted his device to his head, and hooked it around, connecting his ears around the back.

"How now, Zoro?" he said, his voice perhaps a bit louder than necessary. "My name's Usopp."

"It's nice to meet you," Zoro said politely. "What is . . . ?"

"Oh, this?" Usopp said, gesturing to his head. "Franky and I were caught in a furnace explosion many years ago. He lost his leg and nose, and I lost most of my hearing. This device helps."

"I see," Zoro said.

"I suppose you can guess what _they_ are," Nami said.

"Usopp here is clearly some kind of goblin, isn't that right?" Zoro said confidently.

At this the whole table burst into laughter again while Usopp scowled and folded his arms.

"I'm not some penny-pinching miser like a goblin, or a certain faery I know," he huffed, glancing at Nami. "I'm a dwarf, nothing more and nothing less!"

"Oh, okay," Zoro said. "And Franky, you are, too?"

"Aye," Franky said, grinning. He eyed the sheath strapped to Zoro's hip. "Would you show us your sword?"

Zoro's hand moved to his sword, but he did not draw it out. He eyed Franky suspiciously.

"Don't misunderstand, now," Usopp said nervously. "We're metalworkers, you see, and we're interested in checking your blade's quality. I myself am world-renowned as a blacksmith, in fact!"

"No, he isn't," Nami said. "But with the price their works fetch, he might as well be."

"Are you saying my sword isn't good enough?" Zoro asked dangerously, sliding it out just an inch.

"We'll never know unless we see it," Franky pointed out. "If you'll show us, we may be able to hone it for you."

"Zoro, they're not going to break your sword," Nami said exasperatedly. "Honestly . . ."

"Tch," Zoro muttered. He drew out his sword and handed it gently to Franky and Usopp. "Well? Any problems?"

"Hm," Usopp muttered, tracing a finger over the edge—he and Franky had such tough skin, they would not be cut by ordinary weapons. "There are some scratches . . ."

"Small dents here and there . . ." Franky murmured. He looked at Zoro. "Wouldja mind if we took this in? We'll fix up any errors by the time you're ready to leave."

Zoro hesitated, then sighed. "Very well."

Usopp grinned. "Don't look so moody! Your sword will be good as new when we're done!"

They carefully carried it out of the room. Zoro watched them go until they vanished from sight.

"Didn't you bring him here to tell him something?" Robin asked, facing Nami. Zoro finally looked back to the others.

"Yes," Vivi said, looking at Zoro. "You see, Monsieur Zoro, we attended your christening ceremony."

"All of you?" Zoro said, looking around.

Robin, Brook, Chopper, and Merry shook their heads.

"I was busy that day," Merry said quietly. "And Robin and Brook . . ."

"We usually keep to ourselves," Robin explained. "We do not _hate_ humans, nor do we wish to be on bad terms . . ."

Brook signed something.

"'Franky and Usopp are the same way.' . . . He says," Vivi translated.

"I've never met your father, so I wasn't invited," Chopper piped up.

"So it was just Luffy, Nami, and you," Zoro said to Vivi. "I see."

Vivi nodded. "Le roi Mihawk invited us," she explained, "and in turn, we each bestowed a gift upon you."

"How so?" Zoro said curiously.

"Magic," Luffy said simply. He grinned. "My gift was your hair."

Zoro frowned. "I was bald before?"

Luffy giggled. "No, no, the color!"

Zoro stared at him. "You're the one who gave me this color?!"

Luffy grinned again.

"Wow," Zoro said, dumbstruck. "I—thank you! But what possessed you to grant such a gift?"

At this, Vivi and Merry hid smiles. Nami rolled her eyes, and Luffy giggled again.

"I, uh . . . thought . . . green hair would be wonderful," he lied. "It all worked out in the end, so it doesn't matter."

Zoro smiled. "That was very thoughtful. Thank you."

Nami hit Luffy in the back of his head. He glanced up at her. "What?"

"You know what," she hissed. She looked at Zoro now. "My gift was the skills of a swordsman."

Zoro looked surprised once again, but then he frowned, narrowing his eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

"So I'm only proficient at swordsmanship," he said slowly, "because of _magic_?"

Nami frowned. "Oh, I see what you mean. It's not quite that—you see, the magic only gave you potential to become great. It was you yourself who chose to pursue swordsmanship, was it not?"

Zoro nodded.

"There you go," Nami said. "And as far as I can tell, you would have been great regardless of whether I'd done that or not."

"Alright," Zoro said, satisfied. He adjusted his belt and looked at Vivi expectantly, but she lowered her head.

"Monsieur Luffy, Madame Nami, I'm not sure we thought this through," she murmured. "If I tell him of my gift, we would have to tell him what happened beforehand."

Luffy and Nami glanced at each other.

"Fair point," Nami admitted. "Zoro, do you mind waiting?"

Zoro scowled. "I suppose not."

"Good," Luffy said, smiling. "So, er . . . we won't go into details, but one of our other friends was at your ceremony."

Zoro looked around. "Who?"

"Her name's Hancock," Luffy explained. "She isn't quite ready to meet you yet, so she's elsewhere at the moment."

"Is she very shy?" Zoro asked.

Luffy shrugged. "Not exactly, but . . . I'm sure you two will be able to meet peacefully one day." He smiled.

"Okay," Zoro said slowly.

"When you _do_ meet her," Nami said, "please don't be hostile. She isn't _bad_ , no matter what might've happened in the past."

The others nodded.

"I'll be civil," Zoro promised. "Though I don't see why I'd be hostile to her in the first place."

Luffy grinned. "Thank you!"

* * *

Within an hour or two, Zoro had been taken on a small tour of the caverns. He had only been prevented from going to one area, which, he was told, was where Hancock was staying for the time being. Franky and Usopp had presented him with his newly-polished sword, for which he thanked them profusely as he sheathed it once more. The two had been the first to live in the caves.

Nami, it seemed, often took the dwarfs' work into town to be sold for a nice price. She would then take the gold back to be fashioned into jewelry or decorations for herself, which Franky and Usopp were more than happy to do, for they enjoyed tinkering and hammering more than anything.

Chopper had come to this land by travelling on a merchant's ship from his homeland and journeying across the continent until he'd come upon the others, where he'd been offered the chance to stay and eventually accepted.

Robin and Brook hailed from Greece, and vague statements led Zoro to believe the former had begun covering her eyes and the latter had lost his voice sometime after they'd traveled to the kingdom.

Merry simply disliked the cold, and found it warmer with company, south of the Nordic lands. They were called away every few days to escort someone to the afterlife, and thankfully recovered from the experience within a few hours each time.

The sun was beginning to set as Zoro said his farewells. He was invited to return again in the future.

Luffy and Nami stood near him.

"This is your warning," Luffy announced as he and Nami grabbed each of Zoro's arms. They lifted him up and shot up into the air.

* * *

Zoro was set down gently in his room. Luffy and Nami bade him farewell and shot back through the air. Zoro watched them go, smiling, before he closed the window lest he catch a chill.

He was called down for supper soon, and made sure to remove his weapon before leaving his room.

* * *

Halfway through dinner, Zoro cleared his throat. Mihawk looked up at him from across the table.

"Father," Zoro said, "tell me what happened at my christening ceremony."

Mihawk stared at him a moment longer before slowly setting his fork down. "And what prompted this?"

Zoro explained about where he'd gone earlier.

Mihawk pursed his lips. "I do wish they'd waited to tell you until I had a chance to talk about it, but . . . what's done is done."

He sighed.

"An enchantress named Hancock," he said slowly, "appeared at the ceremony. I'd specifically forbade her from coming, but this only served to anger her."

He folded his hands tightly. "She intended to have you killed on your twentieth year, Zoro. But Madame Vivi graciously stepped in and saved you."

Zoro had frozen in the act of lifting a forkful of food, and his hand remained suspended halfway between his plate and his mouth. He set his fork down.

"The new curse," Mihawk explained, "says you will fall into deep slumber on your twentieth birthday. The means to wake you is simple." He clenched his hands. "I am forever grateful I will not lose you so early."

"I was told—I was told she wasn't a bad person," Zoro said. "Yet she tried to have me _killed_ . . . ?"

Mihawk sighed through his nose. "I shan't blame you if you choose to befriend her. The faeries have been trying to reconcile things between myself and her ever since that awful day, but she has yet to beg forgiveness for her actions."

Zoro looked down at his plate.

"I see."

The rest of the meal passed in silence.

* * *

As Zoro got ready for bed, he spotted that pink-haired girl around the corner again. He hurried to the door and found her just down the hall.

"Hey," he snapped, and she looked back at him. "Yeah, you. Quit harassing me."

She stared at him. "You _can_ see me . . . ?"

"You're not exactly hiding," Zoro pointed out. "I'm trying to get ready for bed, so stop spying on me, for the love of—"

"Zoro?"

Zoro turned around to see Mihawk.

"Who are you talking to?"

Zoro glanced back, but the girl was gone. He frowned.

"There was . . . a girl here," he said lamely.

Mihawk shook his head. "Get yourself to bed," he said sternly. "Staying awake until you see things isn't healthy."

Zoro scowled and retreated to his room, shutting the door. Finally, he would be able to relax and explore his dreams after that long day.

He blew out the candles and climbed into bed, soon falling into sleep.

* * *

 **Translation:**

 **Allons-y = Let's go**


	3. Unreasonable Behavior

For as long as he could remember, Zoro had been an adept lucid dreamer. His dreams would start with fuzzy awareness, but quickly transition into an odd conscious experience, in which he was free to move about and speak as he pleased, but was still semi-aware of his corporeal body lying peacefully in bed.

His mind would create the place he started out in. It was often a familiar place—one of the castle rooms, the court outside, the village . . . oftentimes, the place would be skewed in some way: a missing decoration, a road leading to nowhere . . . but this didn't matter.

Sometimes, familiar figures would spontaneously appear. Luffy, Nami, Vivi, his father—but if they spoke, they would only say something Zoro himself was thinking, or something they had said in the past. Sometimes they vanished from sight without a word.

The dreams were realistic to the point where Zoro was lucky he could tell them apart from reality lest he accuse someone he knew of doing or saying something they'd only done in his head. If ever he was unsure, he only had to search for some anomaly, like a non-reflective mirror or a missing object.

But tonight, the dream was different.

Zoro found himself in front of la Colline, where Luffy, Nami, Vivi, and the others lived. He entered curiously and made his way to the room with the table, where he found everyone sitting around it, just where he remembered them being. He sat where he'd sat that afternoon, and everyone turned to look at him. He waved in greeting.

"You must not be very bright—jest, I jest! I'm a Valkyrie, mon prince," Merry said with a smile.

"That's the short version, yes," Robin said with a grimace.

"You must be the famous Zoro," Franky said. "I wouldn't know anyone else with hair like that. I'm called Franky."

"I'm a dwarf, nothing more and nothing less!" Usopp exclaimed.

Zoro stood and left the table. The party fell silent as he exited the room and went back outside.

It was there he came face-to-face with a complete stranger.

This person was a man about his height, and perhaps age. His hair was blond, sleek, and combed over his left eye. His right eyebrow curled upwards into a small spiral on his pale skin, and he wore a suit, not dissimilar to Zoro's but slightly neater nonetheless.

The stranger and Zoro stared at each other for a moment.

"Who the hell are you?" the stranger demanded at last.

Zoro scowled. "I could ask you the same thing. I don't remember you."

The stranger scowled in return. "And I don't remember _you_. Funny how that works." He glanced around. "I don't remember this place, either, come to think of it."

"That's because you're in my dream," Zoro snapped, "so unless you're a friend of one of _them_ —" he gestured to the cave. "—I'll have to ask you to disappear."

"Excuse me?" the stranger snapped. "This is _my_ dream. If anything, _you're_ the intruder."

"I beg to differ," Zoro said. Something about this guy just made him angry, and, finding his sword at his side, he drew his blade and held it at the ready. "State your name."

The stranger eyed the sword. Zoro realized at once that he could not possibly hurt this person with any lasting damage, and the stranger must have known this too. Despite this, he looked at Zoro and said coolly, "When asking someone's name, isn't it more polite to give _your_ name first?"

"Oh, you're right," Zoro said. "I'm called Zoro."

Suddenly his expression darkened. "I asked _your_ name, cur!"

The stranger scowled at him. "My name is Sanji," he said. "Not that it's any business of _yours_."

"If some stranger is going to appear in my dream willy-nilly, I have every right to know their name," Zoro snapped. He drew back his blade, but did not sheathe it. "State your purpose."

"My purpose?" Sanji said. "What do you want me to say? I was having a regular dream, when all of a sudden I wandered past the road I was on and found myself here, with a damned _intruder_."

"Get the hell out of my dream already!" Zoro snapped.

"Get the hell out of _my_ dream!"

"This is stupid," Zoro exclaimed. He aimed his sword again, this time pointing the tip at Sanji's neck. "Get out before I'm forced to do anything drastic."

"I just wanted a peaceful night, as usual," Sanji snapped, eyeing the sword. "And now there's an idiot with moss growing out his head threatening me. What next? Flying cattle?"

A few cows flew overhead. Sanji frowned up at them and muttered, "I didn't mean that."

As they vanished, Zoro glared at Sanji and said coldly, "What did you just say about my hair?"

"It looks like moss," Sanji said impatiently. "Is your head a rock or something? What kind of color is that?"

"You shut that mouth," Zoro said angrily. "I'll have you know this hair was a gift from a faery. It's my pride!"

Sanji snickered at this. "Must've been a really stupid faery! Who'd curse _anyone_ with green hair?!"

Zoro's hand clenched around the hilt. "I'm not denying he's not the brightest, but I assure you this hair is _anything_ but a curse! As long as we're talking of strange things, what about that eyebrow?"

"What?" Sanji snapped.

"You heard me! If anything, you're the one who was cursed—!"

He paused, remembering what his father had told him about his twentieth birthday. Sanji, however, didn't notice and glowered as he said, "My eyebrows are _beautiful_ , I'll have you know! That moss must have sucked away your intelligence if you can't tell!"

"Leave my hair alone!" Zoro snapped. "Listen, you, I've had a really strange day and I'm _not_ in the mood to deal with some poorly-raised guy!"

"I am a _prince_ ," Sanji snapped back. "How _dare_ you talk to me that way!"

"I'm a prince as well! Two for two, huh?"

Sanji found a sword suddenly strapped to his hip and drew it. "Why don't we have a duel, mon prince de l'herbe?" he challenged. "First one to—"

Zoro suddenly thrust his sword and did an interesting flick, knocking Sanji's sword out of his hand and sending it flying to the earth.

"Guess that means I win," he said.

"Now who's the poorly-raised one?" Sanji snapped, bringing his sword back with a wave of his hand. "Weren't you ever taught your dueling manners?"

"Weren't you ever taught any manners at all?" Zoro retorted. "I got tired of listening to you, so I decided to get it over with. Any problem with that?"

Sanji sheathed his sword. "You _bet_ I have a problem with that," he said, scowling. He suddenly kicked out with his right leg, sending Zoro's sword flying in much the same way his own had moments ago.

"What kind of dueling technique was _that_?" Zoro demanded, bringing his sword back. "Talk about poor manners!"

"Oh, forgive me, I thought we weren't playing by the rules?" Sanji said in a mockery of politeness. He aimed another kick, but this time Zoro blocked it with the flat of the blade.

"No upper body strength, huh?" Zoro muttered, keeping Sanji's barrage of kicks at bay. He would never admit it to him, but they seemed very powerful.

"I have fantastic core strength," Sanji informed him, easily keeping his balance and noting Zoro was holding more than his own against him. "What about you? Are you only good for something if you have a toy in your hand?"

Zoro jumped back, sheathed his sword, ran forward, and socked Sanji in the shoulder, surprising him so much he actually stumbled back a step, despite that it didn't actually hurt.

"Want to say that again?" he demanded.

Sanji swung his leg up and Zoro blocked it with his forearm.

"My sword," Zoro continued, gritting his teeth, "is no _toy_."

"Don't tell me you're a sword maniac or something," Sanji said disdainfully, aiming another kick which Zoro failed to block.

He stumbled and unsheathed his sword. "What if I am? I've trained for years with the blade, and I won't put up with a scoundrel like you insulting my swordsmanship!"

"Scoundrel—?!" Sanji exclaimed indignantly. He lowered his foot. "I'm sick of looking at your face."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing."

"I don't blame you," Sanji said. "You're not exactly a sight to behold."

Zoro's eye twitched. "I meant _your_ stupid face."

"I'm out of here," Sanji snapped. He turned away and, after a moment, vanished from sight.

Zoro muttered, "Good riddance," and turned around, only to come face-to-face with Sanji again.

"Back so soon?" he snapped.

"It looks like moss," Sanji said. "Is your head a rock or something? What kind of color is that?"

Zoro narrowed his eyes and thrust his sword through him. The figure did not react, but vanished after a moment.

"Just an illusion," he muttered to himself, sheathing his sword.

He felt a tug and the world vanished around him.

* * *

"Rise and SHINE, little brother!" a voice exclaimed as the chamber door banged open. "Rejoice, for the most handsome man in the world has come to wake you from slumber!"

Sanji sat up in his bed and glared. "I was already awake, you moron," he muttered.

His older brother sighed, his hands on his hips. His blond hair was slicked back down the middle but hung loose at the sides, and his eyebrows curled into small downward spirals on the outsides. He had a square jaw, rosy lips, pale skin, and dark, almond-shaped eyes.

"One day, little brother, I'll get to you BEFORE you wake!" he exclaimed.

"Go away, Duval."

"Never!" Duval said. He strode forward and sat by Sanji's bed. "Not until you regale me with tales of whatever new ADVENTURE you had last night!"

Sanji scowled. "Keep your stupid voice down. Why do you keep asking? It's not that interesting."

"You know I can't do that whole dream-controlling thing," Duval said. "The most I can do is listen to what it's like for YOU!"

Sanji ran a hand through his hair. "Actually, last night was . . . different."

"Tell me all about it!"

"There was a stupid guy I didn't recognize," Sanji said, scowling. "He had moss growing out of his head and he was annoyingly good with a sword."

Duval burst into loud laughter. "Moss?!"

"It was the same color, at any rate," Sanji muttered. "All I did was wander past the road and I found myself in front of a forest I didn't recognize . . . and then that bastard came out of a cave and asked me what I was doing in his dream." He shook his head. " _He_ was the intruder, for the love of—"

"A mysterious interloper!" Duval exclaimed, jumping up dramatically. "But is he FRIEND or FOE?!"

"Will you shut your mouth?" Sanji snapped. "It's too early for this, and I don't think the old man would appreciate such a racket at this time."

He got out of bed. "As I was saying," he continued, "I got tired of dealing with him, and it was time to wake up in any case."

"How long did you talk to him?" Duval asked.

"It didn't feel very long," Sanji said. "But time always passes strangely in dreams."

"He was that irritating, huh? Don't you worry, little brother! I'm sure you won't see him again!"

"I sure hope not. Now get out of my room."

* * *

Zoro woke up, but did not sit up right away. He stared at the top of his bed and scowled sleepily.

"Stupid guy, ruining a perfectly nice dream," he muttered, sitting up. He glanced to the side and was startled to see that pink-haired girl near his bed, watching him.

"What are you—?! Get out of my room!" he exclaimed.

She frowned. "I was _going_ to," she said primly. "But you woke up just now, so I thought, maybe I could talk to you."

"Talk about what? Why are you in my room?"

She pouted. "You're the only one around here who can see me and hear me," she muttered. "But if you don't want to talk to me, I suppose I won't bother you."

She was about to turn away when Zoro processed what she'd said.

"Only one who can see you?" he repeated.

She nodded. "I wasn't really sure until yesterday. You always seemed to be looking at me, but . . . you hadn't ever _talked_ to me before."

Zoro adjusted himself so he sat on the edge of his bed. He slowly reached out a hand for her shoulder, but it went right through her. He shivered—it felt as though he'd stuck his hand in a pail of snow.

"What are you?"

"What do I look like?"

He scowled. "You _look_ like a human, but so do some others I know."

"The faeries, right?" she said. "I've seen you all talking together. You get along really well."

"Are you going to tell me or not?"

"I'm a ghost," she said abruptly, and Zoro noticed she was not casting a shadow, and her feet didn't quite touch the floor.

"Oh."

She frowned and crossed her legs underneath her, though her torso did not move, and she ended up floating at chest-height. "Is that all you have to say?"

"What do you _want_ me to say?"

"I just thought I'd get a _little_ more of a reaction," she mumbled. "Unless you've met a ghost before?"

Zoro shook his head. "This is the first time. What's your name?"

"I'm Perona," she said with a little smile. "Wow, I haven't said that in a long time! Perona . . ."

"It's nice to meet you," Zoro said. He stood. "Would you mind looking away? I'm going to get dressed."

"It's not like I'm interested in looking in the first place," Perona mumbled, turning away. Zoro rolled his eyes and went to his wardrobe.

"You haven't been spying on me, have you?" he asked as he picked out his clothes.

"Spying?"

He frowned. "In the bath, while I'm dressing, while I'm sleeping . . ."

"Why would I want to look at you in the bath?" she said behind his back, still turned away. "How nasty! And I'm _not_ interested in watching someone dress."

"That's good to know," Zoro said, buttoning his shirt up. As he fumbled, he said, "You didn't answer the one about sleeping."

A moment of silence. Zoro looked back to see Perona still looking away.

"Hey," he said sternly. "You haven't—?"

"I look in every night," she admitted. "But I do that to everyone in this castle."

"Why in the world—?"

"Because _I_ died in my sleep," she said. "So I check on everyone to make sure they're still breathing."

Zoro slowly turned back and finished dressing in silence.

Once he was done, he told Perona she could look, and she turned back around to face him.

"I'll be heading out," he said. He left his room and glanced back to find Perona floating after him down the hall.

"Forgive me if this is rude," she said, keeping pace with him in the air and floating sideways to look at him, "but you can control what you dream about, yes? I overheard you once telling your father about it."

"Yes, more or less," Zoro said. "Why?"

She floated in front of him, moving backwards while facing him. "What did you dream about last night?"

He scowled. "It was strange. I met with some bastard intruder who insulted me the whole time we were there. _And_ he was irritatingly good at kicking."

Perona grinned. "What did he look like?"

"An idiot. His eyebrow was curled." Zoro twirled his finger to demonstrate.

"That sounds interesting," she said cheerfully.

"He barged into _my_ dream with no invitation," he exclaimed. "Damn guy . . ."

"Maybe you won't see him again," Perona said, moving so she floated next to him again.

"I sure hope not."

* * *

 **Translation:**

 **prince de l'herbe = Prince of Grass**


	4. Pepper Steak

A month had passed since the night when Zoro had met Sanji in his dream, and vice-versa. They had not seen one another since, and neither was complaining about it.

Perona had started floating around Zoro far more than before, and he drew odd looks should he talk to her with company—to others, it must have looked like he was conversing with empty space. Perona would only float away if Zoro lost his temper and yelled, at which point she would sulk and disappear for hours on end, though she always returned before the day was over.

Every morning she would curiously ask if Zoro had seen the funny-looking guy in his dreams, and each time Zoro responded no, to her mild disappointment.

Meanwhile, Duval did the same to Sanji, though his manner of questioning was far louder. Sanji patiently replied no each time, at which Duval would give a melodramatic soliloquy before prancing out.

* * *

"Zoro!"

Zoro paused and looked up from where he'd been walking in the hallway to see Luffy, Nami, and Vivi standing in front of him. He glanced around, but Perona had vanished.

"Hello," he said, smiling. "It's good to see you; how now?"

"The usual," Nami said carelessly. "Yourself?"

Zoro shrugged. "Well enough, I suppose."

"Have you asked your father about that day?" Luffy asked, straight to the point as always.

"Aye," Zoro replied. "Madame Vivi . . ."

He turned to face her and bowed.

"Thank you ever so much for saving my life," he said. "I am forever in your debt."

"M—Monsieur Zoro, please lift your head," Vivi said, startled. He looked up and she smiled. "I . . . I only did what had to be done. I'm sure anyone else would have done the same—I could not let her send you to death so early. There's no need to prostrate yourself like that."

"Very well," Zoro said reluctantly. "On that topic . . . about that Hancock person . . ."

"Ah," Luffy said. "She's really not that bad, Zoro, once you get to know her . . ."

Zoro scowled. "I wonder if you could say that if _you_ knew she tried to have _you_ killed once upon a time."

Luffy grinned and shrugged. "I couldn't die by her hand, and I think she likes me too much to try it in the first place. Besides, it wasn't any grudge against you in the first place—rather, it was against your father."

"That doesn't change the fact," Zoro pointed out.

"Honestly, things will be better for you in the long run if you make friends with her," Nami muttered, leaning against the wall and folding her arms. "Or at least if you don't harbor any grudges."

"I'm not sure if she'd go through all that again to place another curse," Luffy remarked, "but regardless . . ."

"All that?"

"She's a succubus," Nami explained, "and she must lay with a human every so often to survive."

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "She kills—?"

"Oh, no, no," Vivi said quickly. "She certainly draws out energy, but the human recovers within a day. Humans are very resilient, after all."

"The thing is, she finds it a disgusting act," Luffy continued, frowning. "So she never does it more than necessary. I've been told receiving permission from the human amplifies the energy given, so she must do that as well—"

"What does this have to do with the curse?" Zoro demanded.

"Oh! Right," Luffy exclaimed. "She can gain some powerful magic should she lay with many a human over a short time. That's how she was able to perform such a powerful curse back then."

"I certainly wouldn't underestimate her when it comes to exacting revenge," Nami remarked.

"If I may ask something else," Zoro said. "Just what happened between her and my father to spark something like that?"

"You should probably ask him about that," Luffy said cheerfully, glancing behind Zoro. "Hello, mon roi!"

Zoro turned to see Mihawk approaching. "Father," he said in greeting.

Mihawk nodded and eyed the faeries. "Hello, Monsieur and Mesdames. Telling tales of the past again, are we?"

"Yes, Monsieur," Luffy said without a trace of shame.

"As long as you're here, would you answer the question?" Zoro said bluntly. "Er, please."

Mihawk twitched. "I'd rather not say it," he said flatly. "For her to do such a thing—and in the guise of my—"

He shook his head. "Carry on," he muttered, striding on and disappearing around the corner.

"I suppose it's not important," Zoro muttered. He turned back to the faeries. "Was there anything else?"

"Not really," Luffy said cheerfully. "It was good to see you! We'll visit again soon!"

"We're going already?" Nami said, straightening up and smoothing her dress. "Oh, alright. Zoro, do you have any gold or metals you could spare—? No? Fare thee well, then."

"Farewell," Vivi said, smiling. They drew out their wands and spun them above their heads once, successfully vanishing themselves away and presumably back to la Colline.

Zoro sighed and sat against the wall.

"They've left?"

He jumped and looked over to Perona, whose head was sticking out of the wall next to him. "Do you _mind_?"

"Not at all," she said, bringing out the rest of her body and crossing her legs in midair next to him.

"Yes, they just left," Zoro said. "Why didn't you stay?"

"I'm not sure if they can see me or not," Perona admitted, "and I had nothing to say in the first place."

Zoro nodded slowly, and then yawned. "I'm going to nap," he announced. "Wake me if there's trouble, will you?"

"Huh?" Perona exclaimed, but Zoro was already closing his eyes and getting more comfortable against the wall.

"Honestly, who naps in a hallway?" she muttered, floating away.

* * *

"So _this_ is where you've been!"

Sanji looked up guiltily at his father, the King Zeff, in the middle of kneading dough in the kitchens.

"Haven't you heard a word I've told you, boy?" Zeff snapped. "I don't care if your mother likes the idea, it's not befitting of a prince to be cooking!"

"M—My apologies, mon roi," the head chef said hastily, approaching and bowing. "Mon prince Sanji was awfully insistent—"

"There isn't anything wrong with learning to cook, old man!" Sanji yelled, dusting off his flour-coated hands on his apron. "Suppose every chef in this kitchen fell ill all at once! Who would do the cooking?!"

"Don't be ridiculous, boy, that wouldn't happen!" Zeff exclaimed. "You should be more like your brother, he may have a screw loose but at least _he's_ set on the path of royalty—!"

"I can be royalty and a chef at the same time!" Sanji pointed out. "Duval's the one set to inherit this kingdom anyway, and if I don't marry someone else of royal blood, I may have to cook for both of us!"

"If your partner isn't of royal blood, they should know how to cook already!" Zeff argued, his face turning red.

"I heard SHOUTING!" Duval exclaimed, throwing open the double doors of the kitchens dramatically. "Is there DRAMA occurring in this fine castle?!"

"NOT NOW, DUVAL!" Sanji and Zeff roared before turning back to glare at each other.

"Very well!" Duval yelled. "But mark my words, I SHALL return!"

"Now _he_ ," Sanji snapped as the doors shut again, "would be better off as an Elizabethan actor, if you asked me."

"Like I said, he has a screw loose!" Zeff exclaimed. "But _he_ isn't pursuing a career in the arts!"

"Except when he barges into my room every morning, yelling his head off!" Sanji exclaimed.

"We're getting off-topic! Listen here, boy, if I catch you in here again, I'm disowning you!"

"Who'd want to be _your_ son, anyway?!" Sanji snapped.

"Get out of here and take that damned apron off!"

Sanji yanked off the apron and threw it to the ground before storming out of the room, making sure to slam the doors behind him.

"If any of you let him in here again, you'll find yourselves on the street," Zeff said before exiting as well.

Sanji stormed up to his room to find Duval already there, leaning against the wall in the most dramatic way possible.

"Go away," he said without preamble.

"Tell me, my dear brother," Duval exclaimed as Sanji opened up his wardrobe, shuffling through the clothes. "Have our cruel father's words pierced your heart, like rejected love on a summer's day?"

"As usual, I have _no_ idea what you're talking about," Sanji muttered, taking off his shirt and pants. "Of course I'm angry about all that. I know the old man wasn't serious about kicking me out, but I wouldn't put thumbscrews past him."

He slipped a vest over his head, straightening out the front and adjusting the shoulders. "I need to let my legs breathe . . . hey, can you get the back?"

"Perhaps Mother can convince him to allow you to learn the art of cooking!" Duval exclaimed, coming forward to take care of the ties on the back of the vest.

Sanji snorted. "It'll be a cold day in Hell when that happens."

Duval stepped away and Sanji spun around. "Thank you."

"I'm sure your cooking will taste WONDERFUL when you learn how!" Duval said with determination. "As soon as you find a way to convince him—!"

Sanji grinned. "Supportive as always. Thanks, Duval."

He stretched out his legs. "I think I'll take a nap," he announced.

Duval stared at him. "Now?"

"It's as good a time as any," Sanji said with a shrug. "I'll be up in time for dinner."

"Make sure you tell me of your ADVENTURE!" Duval exclaimed, retreating to the door.

"Go away."

* * *

Zoro scratched his head, looking around. He could've sworn he had just been on a road in town, but he was suddenly in an unfamiliar kitchen.

"This isn't the kitchen in _my_ castle," he muttered to himself, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "Where . . . ?"

"Oh, you're _just_ who I wanted to see right now," someone said behind him.

Zoro turned around to see Sanji, this time wearing a simple pink vest. He looked fed-up already.

"You again," Zoro muttered. "What was your name? Snooji?"

"It's _Sanji_ ," Sanji snapped. "Do tell, what are _you_ called? Was it Zorp?"

"Zoro," Zoro snapped, his eye twitching. "What are _you_ all in a tizzy for?"

"What are the odds we take a nap at the same time?" Sanji muttered. "Never mind that—it's none of your business, first of all, I just happen to be having a bad day and then _you_ come and intrude on my dream again—"

"What, so this is your kitchen?" Zoro said. "That explains it."

Sanji looked around. "Yes," he said. "It's my kitchen. And I was going to spend some time here. Alone."

"Fine, I can take a hint," Zoro muttered. "I'll leave. Have fun by yourself."

He left through the double doors, looked around, and headed up some stairs. He'd barely gotten to the top when he heard something and turned around. Sanji was running to catch up with him.

"I'm not going to let you explore my castle without my supervision," Sanji said sternly, straightening up.

"I thought you wanted to be in the kitchen like an oddball," Zoro said, striding down the hall. "And in any case, I was going to look for the exit."

"There's nothing _odd_ about it!" Sanji snapped, striding alongside him. "I can have a hobby, can't I?! I don't care what that damned old man says, I—"

He caught himself when he realized Zoro was staring.

"Touched a nerve, did I?" Zoro muttered. "I don't give a damn what your hobbies are, honestly."

"Wait," Sanji said, still walking alongside him. "You don't think it's—strange—for a prince to learn how to cook?"

"Like I said, I don't care about your hobbies," Zoro snapped. "Why does that matter, anyway? Can't you be a prince _and_ cook?"

Sanji was silent for a moment.

"My father doesn't seem to think so."

Zoro glanced at him.

"Oh."

"Not that it's any business of yours," Sanji muttered, looking away.

"You're the one who brought it up," Zoro pointed out. "I'm not really interested in you."

"Now _those_ are some poor manners," Sanji said. "By the way, you passed the exit."

Zoro paused. "What?"

"You were looking for the exit," Sanji said slowly. "You. Passed. It."

"Which way is it?" Zoro said, missing the large doors off to the side behind him.

"Turn around."

Zoro did so.

"They're on your left."

Zoro hesitated. Sanji stared at him.

"Don't you know which way left is?"

Zoro nodded, but then slowly shook his head, frowning.

"Wow," Sanji said in awe. "I never thought I'd meet someone dumb enough to not know which way _left_ is."

"Hey, shut your mouth!" Zoro exclaimed, determinedly not looking at Sanji. "Do _you_ know which way it is?!"

"You ass, I just told you which way it is, of _course_ I know! Look, there's an easy trick—" Sanji said impatiently. "Hold up your hands, backside-up—your left hand's first finger and thumb make an L-shape. For _left_."

Zoro slowly held up his hands and extended his first fingers and thumbs. He glanced between his hands for a moment, slowly lowered his right, and stared at his left hand in awe.

"Oh," he exclaimed, grinning suddenly. "Wow, I never knew! That's really useful!"

Sanji stared at his smile for a moment, but he quickly shook himself out of it and scowled. "You know, even if you didn't know which way left was, the doors are _right there_."

Zoro looked around and finally spotted the doors. "Oh."

Sanji muttered something under his breath. "Will you _leave_ already?"

"Yeah, yeah," Zoro muttered, the smile gone. "Go back to your kitchen, or whatever you do."

He pushed open the doors and exited the castle at last. Sanji sighed in relief, but when he turned away, he almost missed the company.

Not that he missed _Zoro's_ company in particular . . .

* * *

Zoro blearily woke up and stood slowly, stretching in the hallway. He had spent the remainder of his dream (not that there was much left) exploring Sanji's castle grounds. Perona had appeared once, and Vivi once as well, though they hadn't said anything of consequence.

"Sleep well?"

He glanced up at Perona, floating down in front of him. "Yes," he admitted. "Although . . . that guy appeared again . . ."

"Oh, that funny-looking guy," Perona said, suddenly interested. "What happened? Tell me!"

"He was being uptight about some cooking hobby of his," Zoro muttered. Suddenly he brightened. "But he taught me something new! Look—your fingers form an L, and that's how you can tell left from right!"

He grinned expectantly, but Perona only stared at him.

"Are you an idiot?" she said at last.

"Huh?"

"You can't tell left from right?"

"Leave me alone!"

* * *

"Duval . . ."

"I won't leave until you tell me!"

"Fine," Sanji muttered. "That guy with the green hair showed up again."

Duval's eyes lit up. "Tell me ALL about it!"

"It actually . . . wasn't that bad," Sanji admitted. "He didn't seem to think being a prince and being able to cook was an odd or bad thing, so now I have the support of three people." He frowned. "Even if one's only in my head . . . but anyway, after that, it turned out he couldn't tell left from right."

Duval chuckled.

"Yeah, it's ridiculous. I had to teach him that finger trick, and he . . ." Sanji shook his head. "He looked like a child on his sixth birthday, that stupid smile . . ."

"Do I sense . . . ROMANCE in the air?" Duval exclaimed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully with a wicked grin.

Sanji stared at him. "What? No. Like I'd ever love someone like _him_."

"That's what they ALL say, little brother!" Duval proclaimed. "But sooner or later—!"

"Get out of my room!"


	5. The Woman of Your Dreams

Nearly a whole year had passed since Zoro and Sanji's second meeting, and both were sixteen years of age now. During these months, their dreams collided perhaps every other week. Each time they saw each other, they would bicker with petty words, spar with sword and leg, or simply ignore each other and walk in the opposite direction.

Throughout these meetings, they learned a little bit more about the other—just a little bit. Zoro learned that Sanji was the younger sibling to a dramatic man named Duval (who appeared a few times during the childish arguments), and he wished to learn how to cook properly, but his father would not allow it (though his mother was supportive). Zoro had promptly remarked Sanji's cooking likely tasted terrible anyway, which had led to another childish fight.

In turn, Sanji learned that Zoro was haunted by the ghost of a girl named Perona, whose figure spontaneously popped up from time-to-time, and that Zoro's mother had passed before he knew her (at this time, a portrait of Zoro's mother from the castle halls would appear briefly—she was a beautiful woman with dark skin and piercing eyes). Although Sanji had once asked Zoro about the faeries, Zoro gave little information on them, apparently having decided he wished not to talk about his personal friendships or details too much.

Outside of dreams, Sanji snuck down to the kitchens whenever King Zeff was away, learning a little more of the culinary arts with each visit. Soon he was able to bake a simple loaf of bread, which was served with dinner that night without Zeff's knowledge. Only Duval and the other chefs knew it was Sanji who had made it, and Duval privately informed Sanji afterwards that it was absolutely delicious—though with the way he said it, it was a wonder they kept the conversation private at all.

Meanwhile, Zoro made several trips to la Colline to visit his friends. He had yet to even catch a glimpse of Hancock. In the meantime, he played games with Chopper (who, despite his age, was childlike in nature, not unlike Luffy), curiously observed Usopp's and Franky's work (they were happy to fix up his sword anytime for free), and had even begun to learn sign language with Brook. Brook had promised to tell Zoro about his voice, or lack thereof, should Zoro become proficient in signing. Zoro, though curious, was in no rush, and so he took his time with learning.

* * *

"Brook . . ."

Brook looked at Zoro. They were in one of the cavern's smaller rooms practicing signing, at which Zoro was still rather clumsy. Vivi was there to act as a translator.

"If you don't mind, how do you communicate with Robin?" Zoro glanced to the side awkwardly. "Since you speak like this, and she cannot see your hands . . ."

Brook nodded thoughtfully and slowly signed something. Zoro watched carefully and spoke out loud.

"'Touch . . .'" he said slowly. "I'm sorry, could you sign that once more?"

Brook patiently signed his response again. Zoro's brow furrowed.

"'Robin . . . touch . . . hand . . .'" he muttered. He scratched his head. "I forfeit."

"'Madame Robin and I communicate through someone else,'" Vivi translated. "'If we are alone, I spell words into her hand.' . . . He says."

"Ah," Zoro said. "That makes sense."

Brook now signed something else, and Zoro understood enough of this to smile in response. He awkwardly signed something in return, but upon Brook's puzzled expression, he promptly gave up and used his voice instead.

"Thank you very much, Brook, but I have a ways to go yet," he said modestly. Brook grinned.

"Hey, Zoro?"

Zoro, Brook, and Vivi looked up to see Luffy.

"What is it?" Zoro said.

Luffy grinned sheepishly. "I hope you're finished already . . ."

Brook signed something.

"Okay, good," Luffy said cheerfully. "Zoro, if you'd like, you can meet Hancock now."

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"

"She says she's ready," Luffy explained, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "And, er, we _would_ like you two to make friends . . . if possible. I'll be there in case things go wrong, don't you worry!"

"Very well," Zoro said, standing. "Brook, Vivi, thank you."

He left, following Luffy out.

Luffy glanced back and noticed Zoro's hand resting upon his sword. He frowned.

"Zoro, don't be hostile," he scolded. "We're trying to have a _peaceful_ meeting . . ."

"That doesn't mean she won't try something," Zoro muttered, though he removed his hand.

"She won't," Luffy said confidently. "In here . . ."

They entered a small, well-lit room with a single bed and chair—this was where Hancock holed herself up after gathering energy or when Zoro was about.

On the bed sat Hancock herself. Zoro eyed her and took in the feminine figure (covered by a light blue, loosely-fitting robe) and the long, dark hair. She was facing away.

"We're here," Luffy chirped.

Hancock looked up at last. Zoro noticed she was actually quite pretty—her looks rivaled those of the others. Her face had just the right amount of fat, her eyes were deep and well-shaped, and her cheekbones were high.

"Well," Hancock said at last. Her voice, too, was lovely. "It's . . . a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Zoro said coolly. He folded his arms rather than offer a handshake.

Hancock eyed him up and down as he kept a suspicious eye on her. "I suppose you're more interested in those of the male persuasion," she remarked, folding her arms as well.

"Pardon?"

Luffy coughed quietly.

"What I mean is . . ." Hancock stood from the bed and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, her body began to shift and change, and Zoro took a step back warily.

When the transformation was complete, Hancock opened her eyes. Her body now resembled a human male's—and a rather strong one at that. Muscles rippled under smooth skin. Her hair had become shorter as well, and her face more square.

"Er," Zoro said intelligently. "That was . . . interesting."

Hancock eyed him curiously.

"Er, Hancock, what are you doing?" Luffy said cautiously.

"I shall stop should he become affected, worry not," Hancock said, sending a smile Luffy's way. She turned back to Zoro, the smile instantly vanishing.

Zoro felt something odd now. He glanced around warily, trying to figure out what it was to no avail. For a moment—the briefest moment—he thought he felt something else, but it was gone in a heartbeat.

All at once, the oddness in the air vanished.

Zoro looked at Hancock to see she had abruptly changed back into her original form, and she was now staring at him in wonder.

"You weren't affected," she murmured.

"Were you trying something?" Zoro said suspiciously. His hand went to the sword hilt again, but at a stern look from Luffy he moved it back.

"I've only met a few others like you," Hancock said. She was smiling now.

"Ah, so that's what was happening," Luffy said, grinning. "That's great!"

"May I ask for an explanation?" Zoro said, becoming annoyed.

"Oh—of course," Hancock said, apparently in a much more friendly mood now. "I am what's called a succubus, or sometimes an incubus. Normally, I can detect what kind of form a human most desires to lay with . . . but _you_ weren't affected by my body or aura at all!"

"I see," Zoro said warily. "I've never been interested in doing that kind of thing . . ."

"Hancock usually can't talk to humans without them first being overcome by beauty," Luffy piped up.

"Which is no surprise, but it makes for terrible relationships," Hancock added. "But with someone who isn't interested . . ."

Zoro only scowled faintly. Hancock noticed this and her smile faded.

"You two, er . . . should talk about _that_ ," Luffy said quietly, backing a few steps away to lean against the wall.

"You tried to have me killed," Zoro said flatly.

Hancock looked away. "I did, yes," she said quietly.

"Because of a grudge against my father?"

"Yes," Hancock muttered. "That man . . ."

"That's low," Zoro said. "To use a loved one against someone . . ."

Hancock bit her lip. "I can't defend myself," she admitted. "My actions . . . on that day . . . were unforgivable, I'm sure. Done in anger and petty vengeance . . ."

Luffy coughed quietly. "She hasn't tried to murder you since, so there's that," he said helpfully.

Hancock gritted her teeth. "If . . . it is any consolation at all . . ."

She bowed low. Luffy looked utterly surprised, for he knew how rarely she did this.

"I sincerely apologize for that day," Hancock said, staring at the ground. "I . . . cannot say I like your father any more than back then . . . but it was cruel to hurt you in his place."

A moment passed.

"Hey," Zoro said. "Er, you can look up now."

Hancock lifted herself and looked at him cautiously.

"I don't know if you're truly sorry or not," Zoro began. Hancock's jaw tightened for a moment, but at a stern look from Luffy, she only sighed.

"But," Zoro continued, "that's . . . not important. All that stuff's in the past. I'm not dead now, I shan't die on my twentieth year after all . . . and, as Luffy said, you haven't tried to kill me since then."

Hancock smiled faintly in relief. "I see," she said happily. "Much appreciated, Monsieur Zoro."

"Just . . . Zoro is fine, if you want," Zoro muttered awkwardly.

The three in the room turned at the sudden sound of footsteps. Nami, Robin, Chopper, and Merry came tumbling inside, bumping into each other and halving the size of the room.

"Oh," Nami said. "You haven't killed each other?"

"Excuse me?" Zoro said.

"We just came here to see that Merry wouldn't have to take anyone to the afterlife today," Chopper piped up.

"'See' in the loosest sense," Robin murmured, smiling.

"You weren't placing bets on anyone's death, were you?" Zoro muttered suspiciously.

"Oh, not exactly," Nami said airily. "Only . . . if you died, I could have sold your things for a nice price . . ."

Zoro stared at her.

"Joking," she said, grinning. "How now, you two?"

"No one looks murderous, so I imagine it went well," Merry remarked, glancing between them.

"What kinds of imaginations do you all have?" Zoro demanded.

"It went well, yes," Hancock said with a faint smile.

"That's a relief," Robin said, smiling. "I wouldn't have enjoyed hearing a detailed description of anyone's mangled corpse, covered in bruises and blood . . ."

"Are you sure you wouldn't have enjoyed that?" Nami muttered. She looked down at Merry and Chopper, who were shaking with tears in their eyes. "Now look what you've done!"

"Look where?"

"You made these two cry, Robin," Nami said exasperatedly.

"Sorry," Robin said, kneeling to pat their heads soothingly.

* * *

"Tell me, little brother!" Duval exclaimed, following Sanji into his room. "How go your cooking lessons?"

"Keep your voice down, moron," Sanji hissed, shutting the door behind them. "Also, how many times do I have to tell you to stop coming in here without permission?"

"If you're so uptight about it," Duval said, striking a pose on the wall impossible for a normal human (both he and Sanji were unusually flexible), "then we can meet in MY room instead!"

"As if," Sanji scoffed. "Your room smells like a goat's ass."

"How DARE you!" Duval exclaimed in mock anger. "That's only the scent of my natural musk!"

Sanji made a face. "You should bathe more often if _that's_ what it smells like!"

"Bathing infrequently is how one produces such a beautiful scent, little brother!"

"In that case, I think I should bathe every hour," Sanji grumbled.

"Enjoy my natural scent!" Duval exclaimed, grabbing Sanji in a headlock. "Let it consume you!"

"I'm going to pass out!" Sanji yelled. "Send help! I'm being smothered!"

"Smothered by AFFECTION!"

"Smothered by your awful stink, more like! Get off, you great lug!"

A brief wrestling match later and both were rubbing new bruises.

"You've got quite the kick," Duval remarked.

"Your punch isn't bad, either," Sanji admitted. "Better than the way you handle a sword."

He scowled, suddenly remembering Zoro. Duval took no notice of this and laughed. "The way I handle the sword is a far superior tactic in battle," he proclaimed.

"Throwing it like a javelin? And what will you do if the enemy retrieves it once it sticks in the ground?"

"I shall bring out a musket and fire at their feet!"

"I'm almost certain that's considered cheating," Sanji remarked.

"I'M holding out hope my opponent will be too dazzled by my looks to care," Duval said, brushing some hair aside and grinning.

"They'd have to have awfully low standards, then."

"Why, little brother! I'm shocked!" Duval gasped. "You mean to say the most handsome man in the world cannot meet most standards?! You wound me!"

"Then again, even if someone with low standards came along, they'd have to put up with your ego," Sanji said thoughtfully.

"My what?"

"Your—"

Footsteps hurrying down the hall interrupted them. Both turned as the steps abruptly stopped. There was a hasty knock before one of the servants barged in.

"Mes princes Duval and Sanji," she said. "Pardon my intrusion—"

"Has something happened?" Sanji demanded.

The servant looked between them, pale-faced. "It's la reine, she—she is—"

* * *

 _Three days later_

"I sincerely apologize for that day . . ."

Zoro folded his arms and stared at Hancock. He vaguely wondered why his mind had chosen to show him this again.

"Enough," he muttered. The figure of Hancock vanished.

He sighed and closed his eyes briefly. Opening them, he found he had been transported into his castle's courtyard. Glancing to his side, he saw Perona floating next to him.

Without a word, Perona lifted an arm and pointed. Zoro frowned and followed her finger.

Sanji stood across the way, staring into the woods. The suit he wore this time was black.

"You again," Zoro said, striding forward as Perona vanished. "Curly-brow, don't you have anything better to do than stand there?"

Sanji looked over and frowned. "You are the _last_ person I wanted to see," he muttered.

"Who _did_ you want to see, then?"

Sanji hesitated. Without his notice, someone appeared behind him—a woman about his height, with curled blonde hair, pale skin, and a kind smile.

"It wasn't her?" Zoro said.

Sanji whipped around.

"Mother," he gasped. He stepped towards her and seized her in a hug.

"I'm so sorry," he said against her shoulder. "I never got to say . . ."

The woman—Sanji's mother—vanished before his eyes.

". . . Goodbye," Sanji completed in a whisper.

He clenched his fists, his arms dropping to his side.

"What . . . happened?" Zoro asked slowly, frowning.

"Like I'd share personal business with _you_ ," Sanji snapped, his face masked with anger.

"Your mother . . . ?"

"Shut your mouth."

Zoro folded his arms. Sanji only clenched his hands by his sides, looking as if he would cry at any moment.

"If you don't want to say, fine," Zoro muttered, turning away. "I'll go find better company and—"

"She died."

Zoro turned back.

"She . . . collapsed," Sanji whispered. "Three days ago . . . the medic said it was her heart." His lip trembled. "She'd . . . never had . . . a strong heart. But . . . no one could have predicted—"

He broke off. His eyes were watering.

"The funeral was today," he said, his voice heavy with emotion. He sank to his knees, his hands clenched on the ground and shaking, doing his best to keep from sobbing.

Something caught his eye and he looked up. Zoro had knelt in front of him.

"She . . . supported your being a cook, didn't she?" he said. His voice sounded odd to Sanji, though a moment later he realized this was because Zoro's voice was not usually tinged with sympathy.

"Yes," Sanji got out, stiff all over save for his trembling hands.

"Any parent who supports their child's ambition . . . must be a good person," Zoro said.

Sanji nodded slowly.

"I'm no good at this," Zoro muttered, looking down. "But . . . I'm sorry for your loss."

Sanji stared at him. A moment of silence; his lip trembled.

Finally, he broke down.

His breathing turned jerky with sobs, and the tears came so thick and fast he was nearly blinded. He was neither sure how loud he was being, nor whether he still cared.

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around him. The embrace was awkward, but Sanji was grateful for the warmth he imagined, and brought his own arms around to clutch at the back, digging his fingers in while sobbing into the shoulder his head suddenly rested upon.

* * *

Sanji was near-inconsolable for quite some time. When he finally pulled away, his eyes dry, he found Zoro looking at him.

"Sorry," Sanji muttered hoarsely.

"It's fine."

After a moment, they realized they were still holding each other and quickly let go. Zoro noticed leftover tears at the corner of Sanji's eye and, for a moment, he had an impulse to wipe them away—he even lifted his hand before he realized what he was doing and froze awkwardly, quickly bringing his hand back.

Luckily, Sanji didn't seem to notice and did it himself. "I'll be fine," he muttered, regaining his breathing. His face and eyes were a bit red.

"Wouldn't have expected any less," Zoro said abruptly. They stood, making a point of not helping the other stand, and faced each other.

"Thank you," Sanji murmured hoarsely, a faint smile breaking through.

" _Don't_ mention it," Zoro muttered, trying to look away from Sanji's smile and failing.

"I've annoyed you enough, I'm sure," Sanji said, turning away. "I'll get out of your hair. I think I . . . need a moment, in any case."

He pinched his cheeks sharply and winced. He vanished without a sound.

Zoro stared at the spot where he'd been for a moment.

"Damn it," he muttered.

He turned around, only to come face-to-face with Sanji again. This time, Sanji's face was free of redness and tears, but he was smiling.

"Back so soon?" Zoro said, taken aback for a moment.

No response, only a smile. Zoro waved his hand in front of him and the figure vanished.

"I am going to _hurt_ him next time we meet!" he yelled to no one in particular.

* * *

Sanji awoke abruptly, tears still fresh on his face. He spent a minute composing himself and wiping his face on the sheets (never mind the poor manners). Once he'd done so, he looked out the window. The sky was still dark.

"Little brother?"

Sanji looked over to his door to see Duval enter, holding a candle on a plate.

"You couldn't sleep, either?" Duval murmured, unusually quiet.

"I only just woke myself," Sanji admitted.

Duval eyed him. "Did something . . . happen in your dream?"

Sanji hesitated.

"Maybe," he said reluctantly.

Duval sat by his bed and waited.

"That green-hair was there again," Sanji muttered. "I wound up . . . telling him about . . . Mother. He was weirdly nice . . . that's all."

Duval smiled faintly. "Could it be you two have become friends?"

"Certainly not," Sanji hissed, the tranquil mood broken. "Showing sympathy doesn't indicate anything."

"So defensive . . ."

* * *

While Sanji spent the remaining hours before dawn talking with his brother, Zoro took longer to wake. By the time he rose, the sun was well up.

"About time," Perona said haughtily, floating near him as he rose and shuffled to his wardrobe. "Honestly, I was about to summon someone, you slept for so long!"

"Good morning to you, too," Zoro muttered, barely looking at her. "How could you summon someone? I thought only I could communicate with you."

"Is something wrong?" she asked, dropping the haughtiness and ignoring the question. She floated in front of him. "Hey, did something happen in your dream?"

Zoro shrugged.

"Was it that Sanji person again?" Perona asked. "You've got that look on your face."

"What look?" Zoro said, startled.

"Oh, just something which says . . . 'I hate everything, or maybe just one person who I'm thinking about.'"

"That's oddly specific. I didn't know I had a face like that."

"You make that face half the time in the first place, so it isn't always easy to tell," Perona added, floating away to look out the window.

"Now listen here—"

"But that face was different."

Zoro glanced over at her. "Oh? How so?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "But . . . it was different from that glower you wear so often. I couldn't say how . . . maybe it was . . ." she frowned. "Softer . . . ?"

She turned around at the sound of stomping to see Zoro storming from the room.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, following. "What did I say?!"

"I'll make him beg for mercy in our next fight!" Zoro growled, striding down the hall.

"Where did that come from?!"

"That's none of your business!"

"Do keep your voice down when talking to yourself, Zoro," Mihawk said, barely looking as he passed by.


	6. A Stab of Happiness

Despite their meeting shortly after Sanji's mother's passing, he and Zoro went back to their usual petty bickering and fights the next time their dreams crossed, and the next time, and the next time.

There was one small difference, however: Neither ignored the other and walked away as they would sometimes do before. When they met, they would stand their ground, and even if they had nothing to say, they walked together around wherever they'd ended up, or sat in silence if they were so inclined.

At one point, Sanji announced he was actually allowed to cook now—his father had caved at last after the Queen's passing, though he refused to comment on anything Sanji had made. It seemed he had grown quieter since his wife's funeral, but Sanji never admitted any worry. Duval, on the other hand, had regained his usual energy and dramatic flair within a few months, much to Sanji's annoyance.

At one point, Zoro mentioned he was learning sign language, though demonstrating his proficiency only served to annoy both of them, for Sanji was not versed in the language whatsoever. He did, however, ask who Zoro's teacher was. Zoro's reply was, "A mute siren," to which Sanji scoffed and dropped the subject, prompting another small squabble.

* * *

"How go your lessons, little brother?!"

Six months had gone by since the Queen's funeral. Sanji sighed and looked up at Duval as he chopped up some potatoes in the kitchens.

"They'd go better if you weren't in here, sweating all over the food," he snapped. "Honestly, you're making a nuisance of yourself!"

"I'm sure my fantastic charisma will only serve to add spice to the meal!"

"Will you leave?!"

"Please take your leave, mon prince Duval," one of the cooks said meekly. "Mon prince Sanji is set to finish soon, at any rate."

"I'll be out in half an hour at most," Sanji agreed. "Duval, go wait in my room if you must."

Duval saluted, bowed, and departed dramatically.

When Sanji finally finished for the day, he thanked the cooks, gave back the apron, and left to wash up. After this, he headed to his room, where Duval was posing by the window.

"Ah, you've come!" Duval exclaimed.

"How long have you been holding that for?" Sanji asked, leaving the door ajar a crack.

Duval dropped the pose and stretched. "Ever since I got here!"

"Now that's dedication," Sanji remarked. "So, did you want to talk about something, or . . . ?"

"I wanted to spend time with YOU, little brother!"

"Oh, for goodness' sake—" Sanji exclaimed, exasperated.

"Ah, but I just recalled something!" Duval exclaimed. "People like you are SPECIAL, little brother!"

"You're the only special one here," Sanji muttered.

"Now, hear me out!" Duval said. "I'm talking about the kind of people who can control their dreams!"

"Oh?"

"I heard . . ." Duval leaned in dramatically; a wasted effort, for he and Sanji were several meters apart. "That those kind of folk . . . can see GHOSTS!"

"Can they now," Sanji muttered.

"Have YOU ever seen a spirit?"

Sanji frowned. "Not as far as I know." He glanced to the side. "Come to think of it . . . _he's_ mentioned a ghost who follows him around . . ."

"Your dream friend?!"

Sanji scowled. "He's _not_ my . . ."

He trailed off.

"Well, you know who I mean!"

"So he is haunted by a spirit!" Duval exclaimed. "Fascinating!"

"Sure."

"Have you considered asking him where he resides?" Duval asked, stroking his chin. "Perhaps he is not far off!"

Sanji scowled. "I don't want to."

"But WHY, little brother?!"

Sanji sighed. "For one thing, I don't particularly care. For another, I'm not entirely certain I didn't just make him up unconsciously. Asking him something like that . . . surely that would ruin the whole thing and he would vanish forever. And if that happened, I . . ."

He trailed off again.

"Very well!" Duval exclaimed. "If you can find solace in a figment of your mind, I shan't stop you!"

"Like you could anyway," Sanji muttered.

* * *

Zoro stared at Chopper, who stared back with sparkling eyes.

"You can _what_?"

"I can fly!" Chopper repeated.

"Since when?"

"I just found out! Watch this!"

Chopper started flicking his tail back and forth while holding out his little arms. As he went faster and faster, he started to lift off the ground until his small body was hovering a foot in the air.

Suddenly he dropped back down—Zoro's arms shot out to catch him.

"It's really tiring," he whispered.

"That was amazing," Zoro said, grinning.

"What—?! Don't you compliment me, you bastard!" Chopper exclaimed delightedly, squirming.

"Once you get the hang of that, we could have a race in the air!" Merry exclaimed, throwing up their arms in excitement.

"Oh, that sounds like so much fun!" Chopper exclaimed.

"I wonder if the faeries ever race?" Zoro muttered to himself.

"Luffy asks Nami and Vivi sometimes," Merry said. "But only Vivi occasionally accepts. Those three are far faster than I could ever be, I must say!"

"What was that about being fast?" Luffy asked, popping into the room.

"How does she fare?" Zoro asked. Luffy had been helping Hancock get back to her room after her monthly task.

Luffy shrugged. "She'll be alright. She's resting up fine."

"Luffy!" Chopper exclaimed, hopping out of Zoro's arms. "Watch this!"

He flicked his tail quickly and slowly rose up in the air. Soon he fell back down into Zoro's waiting arms and looked at Luffy expectantly.

"That is _so_ awesome!" Luffy cried. "You're awesome! I didn't know you could do that!"

"Don't you think flattery will get you anywhere!" Chopper said happily. "I only found out today I could do that!"

"Hey, Luffy!"

Luffy leaned back into the passage. "Franky, what is it?"

Zoro curiously got up and looked out. Franky stood a ways down the hall, holding up two metal pieces.

"Usopp's hearing device broke," he explained. "Think you can help?"

Luffy grinned. "No problem!" He glanced back. "We'll chat later!"

"Merry?" Zoro said as Luffy departed. He sat back against the wall as Chopper tried to fly again. "I have a question about your—your work, if that's what you'd call it."

Merry nodded. "Ask away."

"You surely aren't responsible for every death in this world, are you?"

Merry shook their head. "There are countless others of my kind," they explained. Chopper started to hover again, twirling his tail frantically to stay up. "We're all assigned to different areas of the world, and some of us appear in different forms or are called different things."

Zoro nodded. "What about . . . a ghost?"

"Ghosts are humans who . . . were never met by my kind," Merry explained hesitantly. Zoro reached out and caught Chopper as he fell. Chopper climbed up his shirt and sat on his shoulder. "Most humans cannot see them . . ."

They trailed off. "Why do you ask?"

Zoro shrugged.

That night, soon after dinner, he decided to ask Perona something.

"What is death like?"

Perona frowned and folded her arms. "How tactless," she mumbled.

"Are you going to answer or not?"

She huffed and looked away. "I don't remember," she muttered. "I was falling asleep, all feverish, and then I woke up and my body was being carried out. I don't know if it's different for others, seeing how ghosts must be rare."

Zoro nodded and turned away, heading down the hall. Perona floated close behind.

"D'you think you're going to see the curly eyebrow guy tonight?" she asked curiously.

"How am I supposed to know?" Zoro muttered. One of the servants passing by ignored him; everyone had gotten used to this apparent habit of talking to himself out loud.

"You _really_ don't like him, huh?" Perona mumbled.

No response. Zoro stared straight ahead, perhaps thoughtfully.

"Do you know where he lives?"

"I'm not some creep," Zoro muttered. "And I'm not interested in knowing in the first place."

"You can't just _ask_?" Perona said curiously, sticking her head through his torso and looking up at him.

He yelped and jumped. "Don't _do_ that!" he yelled, shivering.

Perona giggled.

"I don't want to ask," Zoro snapped, rubbing his arms as he started walking again. "I don't care where he lives, and . . . if it turns out some subconscious part of me made him up . . . asking something like that might . . ."

He trailed off.

"Okay, weirdo," Perona muttered, floating ahead to enter his room before him.

* * *

Sanji brought up another swift kick, which Zoro blocked yet again. They were in the midst of their thousandth fight in the dream world, this time in the courtyard of Sanji's home.

"Does _nothing_ catch you off-guard, sword freak?" Sanji demanded as the fight went on.

"A good swordsman never drops his guard," Zoro retorted, blocking kick after kick and occasionally swinging.

Sanji narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. A minute of silence passed save for the clangs of the sword.

"You have a cute smile!" he declared suddenly.

Zoro froze in place, utterly surprised, and Sanji managed to kick the sword out of his hands.

Sanji grinned. "So _that's_ what it takes to catch you off-guard."

"Shut it!" Zoro yelled, bringing his sword back and swinging, only to have the blow blocked. "That was a fluke!"

"You handle a sword better than anyone I know!"

Zoro faltered and stepped back, turning away quickly.

"A fluke, huh?"

"Shut it," Zoro hissed through clenched teeth.

Sanji stepped over to him, but Zoro covered his face.

"You're embarrassed."

"Shut up! How would you like it if I said things like that to _you_?!"

"You can try!"

Zoro glared at him. "Your smile is beautiful as well," he shot at him.

Sanji's eyes widened. "I—uh—"

Zoro grinned and reached out, taking advantage of Sanji's flustered state to pull aside the hair combed over the left side of his face. Dropping it, he said, "Your eyes are as beautiful and deep as the ocean."

Sanji's ears turned red and he glanced around as if looking for an escape route. "That's not fair—bastard—"

"Not so fun when the tables are turned, huh?"

"Your v—voice is one of the loveliest things I've ever heard!" Sanji exclaimed, recovering.

Zoro covered his face again, his arms shaking.

"You sound like you're married."

A moment of silence. Zoro uncovered his face and he and Sanji looked around for the source of the voice. They spotted Perona floating nearby, watching them.

"Get out!" they yelled in unison, and she vanished. They immediately turned on each other.

"Did you bring her here?!"

"It must've been you, you bastard!"

"You're the one who lives with her! I don't know her at all! It _had_ to have been you!"

"You've seen her here before, how am I to know if it wasn't really you?!"

They paused for a moment.

"Well, this became strange all of a sudden," Sanji muttered, his ears still red.

"You're telling me," Zoro muttered. He pinched his cheeks and vanished.

Sanji sat down slowly.

"Did he really mean those things?"

He glanced over to see Duval, who had spoken, sitting next to him.

"Go away."

* * *

In their next meeting, Zoro and Sanji, though they walked around together, said not a single word. They even refused to look at each other.

This happened in the next meeting . . . and the one after that.

Finally, Sanji couldn't take it any more and muttered a greeting to Zoro when they met. Zoro, taken aback, greeted him in return, and they were back to their usual banter.

* * *

"'I will tell you my story now, if you want,'" Zoro translated aloud.

Brook nodded and looked at him expectantly. Zoro was now a few months seventeen and had grown quite proficient in the art of sign language. The two were in Brook's and Chopper's room, a small cavern with two beds of vastly different sizes and a small table in the center.

"If you'd like," Zoro said. Brook looked at him sternly and Zoro signed his response instead.

Brook hesitated, then sighed. He signed something.

"'Get Robin,'" Zoro translated. "Very well . . ."

He stood and returned soon, leading Robin by the hand.

"What is it?" Robin asked, sitting next to Zoro.

Brook took her hand and slowly spelled some words into it. Robin's brow creased.

"I see what you mean," she murmured. She took her hands back and turned to Zoro. "Brook would like to tell you about us, but the story is a bit too long and complicated for signing. Brook, you'd like me to tell it instead?"

Brook tapped her palm once.

"Very well," Robin said. She took a deep breath.

"Brook and I hail from Greece," she began. "Back then, I had my eyes and he had his voice. I'd been searching for somewhere to stay; I'd accidentally frozen a human into stone again, and I did not care to stay in the area. I met Brook by the shore."

She glanced in Brook's direction.

"When Brook had his voice, humans were spellbound by its beauty," she continued. "More often than not, they felt compelled to abandon ship out at sea and swim to the source. Nearly all would drown on the way or be dashed to pieces on the sharp rocks. He never wanted to hurt humans; he only wanted to give a concert for an audience without harming a soul. . . . This is what he told me when we met."

Brook nodded.

"I couldn't risk making eye contact, but we agreed to travel north together," Robin said, shifting where she sat. "We made it to this land, and met Luffy, Nami, Vivi, Usopp, and Franky. They agreed to let us live here, and Chopper, Hancock, and Merry joined us later on. No one . . . was human, of course . . . but I couldn't meet anyone's eyes. It was too risky. As for Brook . . . his voice, though not spellbinding as with humans, was almost as captivating." She turned her sightless gaze on Zoro. "Imagine the power his violin has multiplied twice over."

Zoro had heard Brook's violin several times, and each time he'd felt rooted to the spot, hearing nothing but the beautiful melody, and only snapped out of it once the recital ended. He nodded.

"One couldn't help but listen even if he only spoke normally," Robin continued. "In any case, I . . . was careless one day. I locked eyes with Luffy . . . and he turned to stone."

She clenched her hands in her lap. "Nami and Vivi came, and tried to turn him back . . . but they could not. I couldn't face them, and I fled into the forest."

She sighed.

"Brook, at this time . . . had gone to a secluded area. He'd thought there were no humans around . . . he was wrong. As he was singing, or so I'm told . . . humans approached him and came far too close, apparently spellbound. Brook ceased singing and tried to talk to them, but they didn't seem to hear his words. He, too, fled into the forest."

Zoro nodded, only to remember Robin couldn't see him. He tapped the table instead.

"I was tired of my inability to lock eyes with friends," Robin said, unusually calm, "and of being able to see what I'd done. I found a pointed stone nearby . . ."

She made a gesture as if holding something and moved it swiftly towards her face. Zoro winced involuntarily.

"I managed to start a small fire on a branch," Robin continued in that same calm voice, "and I burned the sockets so my eyes would not grow back. Vivi found me not long afterwards. I can only apologize to her for having to see me after that. I was brought back here and taken care of, and not long afterwards . . . we found Brook."

Brook tapped the jagged scars on his throat.

"As it turned out, he'd taken away his own voice by a similar method," Robin explained. "That was not a pleasant evening for any of us."

"And . . . Luffy?" Zoro murmured. "If he was turned to stone . . ."

"It seems magical beings such as us revert after a few hours," Robin said, smiling almost bitterly. "A very lucky thing . . ."

Zoro took in a slow breath. "Wow," he said at last.

A minute of silence.

"Goodness, that was rather depressing, wasn't it?" Robin said suddenly. She smiled awkwardly. "Our apologies, mon prince."

"Oh—it was certainly interesting, that's for sure," Zoro said. He smiled a bit, but suddenly remembered what Sanji had said about his smile all those months ago and stopped.

"You seem like you have something on your mind, Zoro," Robin said, smiling again after a moment of silence. "Care to share?"

"Some—? I'm not thinking of anyone in particular," Zoro said quickly.

Brook's mouth twitched.

"Any _one_?" Robin repeated.

Zoro quickly stood. "I should be going," he said. "Brook, Robin, thank you for your time. But, er, dinnertime is soon, I should ask Luffy to send me back—farewell, we'll meet another time!"

He departed hastily, Brook staring after him with amusement.

* * *

King Zeff and his sons were dining together in silence. The main course that night had been made solely by Sanji (now seventeen), and the head chef had informed Zeff of this beforehand.

Halfway through the meal, Duval cleared his throat loudly. "Sanji, little brother, you and the others have done a fantastic job!" he declared with a smile. "This is wonderful!"

"Why, thank you," Sanji said with a smile. He side-eyed his father, who resolutely ignored him. His smile faded and he continued eating with a scowl.

Duval waited a moment, and then cleared his throat again. "And I'm sure Father feels the same way!" he continued. "Isn't that right, Father?"

"Duval, I've told you time and again to cease your theatrical shenanigans at mealtime," Zeff grumbled, ignoring the question.

Duval gave an exaggerated sigh, but quieted down and returned to his meal.

"I'll be in my room," Sanji announced, pushing his chair back as soon as he'd finished eating. He strode out without another word to his family. Duval looked very much as if he wanted to say something to Zeff and was even on the verge of opening his mouth, but at the last second he decided better of it.

Sanji was pacing around his room when the knock came at the door.

"Come in," he said tiredly.

Duval flung open the door. "Little brother!" he exclaimed. "Worry not, I have come to reassure you!"

"About what?"

"Your cooking, of course; what else?" Duval struck a pose in the doorway as he spoke. "Father may be reticent on the matter, but I cannot help praising the quality of your work every time it meets my palate! The exquisite meat, cooked to savory perfection! The potatoes, a paragon of malleability!" He clenched his hand over his heart. "Should you improve any more than THIS, little brother, I should think you have transcended to a plane of unadulterated genius!"

"Come now, you're going to make me blush," Sanji said, grinning. He promptly stopped, remembering those words from all those months ago in his dream. "I appreciate it, I really do."

"You don't NEED Father's approval," Duval reiterated, striking another pose. "Ah, but . . ." He eyed Sanji. "Is there something on your mind, little brother?"

Sanji shook his head quickly. "No, no one in particular."

"Ah, very well! I shall retire to my own room."

Duval turned, but suddenly stopped and cocked his head thoughtfully. "Did you say . . . no ONE?"

Sanji chucked a pillow at his head. "Out, damned spot!"

* * *

It was not even a week later when Zoro and Sanji met again.

"Listen, I—"  
"There's some—"

Both stopped speaking and they looked at each other awkwardly.

"Something's been weighing on my mind, and I need to get it off my chest," Zoro said, quickly taking advantage of the silence. "Those damn— _compliments_ , praises, whatever you'd like to call them—"

"It's been many a moon since then," Sanji said, eyeing him, his ears a bit pink. "You still remember . . . ?"

Zoro looked away. "I haven't been able to . . . get it out of my head," he muttered. "Surely you understand."

Sanij coughed into his hand. "I do," he said quietly. "In fact, I haven't been able—to forget—either."

"Ah."

Another moment.

"Well, then," Zoro said quickly, still turned away partially. "I'll . . . get this over with."

He took a deep breath.

"Did you . . . mean what you said, back then? Or were you only trying to spite me?"

Now here, Sanji could have easily responded positively to the latter, and the two could have fallen into yet more months of petty arguments and bickering.

And yet—

"I meant it," Sanji blurted out. He hesitated a moment, and then said quickly, "What about you?"

Zoro, too, could have lied by declaring he'd only said those words out of spite, which would have left Sanji in a very humiliating position.

And yet—

"I meant . . . every word," Zoro admitted, shielding his face with one hand, his head still turned to the side.

Sanji's eyes were slightly wide as he stared at a spot just to the left of Zoro. His ears were quite red.

"So . . ." Sanji said, very quietly. Zoro managed to look at him.

"You . . . like my eyes . . . and my smile . . . ?"

Zoro promptly slapped himself several times over until he abruptly vanished.

Sanji stared at where he'd been for a moment, incredulous.

"Did he just run away?!" he exclaimed. "That bastard! What a way to ruin the atmosphere! He couldn't take something like that, huh?!"

Yet he couldn't help a somewhat fond smile creeping onto his face.

* * *

Zoro sat up, rubbing his sore face.

"What in the world happened?"

He jumped and looked over to see Perona floating near his bed, her ghostly glow lighting up her figure in the darkness.

"What do you mean, what happened?" Zoro muttered once he'd recovered.

Perona frowned. "You started slapping yourself all of a sudden," she said. "Did something bad happen in your dream?"

Zoro sighed. "I don't know."

"You were smiling before that, so it seemed odd you would wake yourself," Perona continued thoughtfully.

Zoro fell back into bed and covered his head with the blanket.

"Don't ignore me!"

"I'm sleeping."

"You are _not_ —"

"Zzzzz . . ."

"I know false snoring when I hear it, you ass!"


	7. Minuit à Fond la Caisse

**Title of this chapter is "Midnight at Full Speed."**

* * *

"I want to see Luffy," Zoro announced.

Luffy appeared in front of Zoro and Sanji with his usual grin. It had been nigh three months since they'd come to terms with each other's words; Zoro would turn eighteen soon.

"So this is the one who gave you green hair," Sanji said, eyeing Luffy curiously.

Luffy grinned at him. "I thought green hair would be wonderful," he explained cheerfully.

"Did you?" Sanji muttered, not expecting a proper response.

"Wow," Luffy said. "You look really good right now!"

Sanji turned to Zoro for an explanation. Zoro seemed rooted to the spot.

"He . . . said that once . . ." he mumbled. "I'll just . . ."

He waved his hands quickly and Luffy vanished.

Sanji decided to ignore it and thoughtfully eyed Zoro's hair.

"I wasn't sure about that color at first," he admitted, "but it suits you."

Zoro scowled. "What do you mean, you 'weren't sure?' It's not like you were picking out a color for an ensemble."

"Shut it, you know what I mean," Sanji said. "Does it . . ."

He hesitated.

"Out with it."

Sanji reached up and felt Zoro's hair.

"Hey!"

"Oh," Sanji said in surprise, smiling. "It's soft!"

Zoro glanced to the side. "Uh . . ."

"I like it," Sanji declared, bringing up his other hand. Zoro refused to look at him, but he didn't move, either.

Perhaps a minute had passed when Sanji took away his hands. "It feels so nice," he said with a smile.

Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose as an excuse for covering his face. "Do you often do things like that out of nowhere?" he mumbled from behind his hand.

Sanji looked surprised. "I . . . no," he said, frowning slightly. "I just felt like . . . I wanted to."

Zoro sighed and brought his hand down. "Fine, whatever." He looked back and eyed Sanji's hair.

Sanji did not fail to notice. "It's only fair," he muttered with a shrug.

Zoro reached out with his right hand and pulled aside the hair on Sanji's left side. He stared at Sanji's full face to the point where Sanji started to look flustered.

"What're you—?"

"Do you have your hair styled that way because of your eyebrows?" Zoro said, looking at him intently.

"I—mostly, yes," Sanji said, his ears pink. "They're . . . they don't reflect, so . . ."

Zoro continued to stare at him, saying nothing.

"And, well, I just prefer it this way," Sanji mumbled.

"I'd cover up half my face with eyebrows like that, too," Zoro said. Sanji was about to snap a retort when he continued, "But it's a shame. With your hair this way, I can only see both of your eyes when I do this."

Sanji's eyes widened. "Wh—I—why would y—" he stammered, his ears burning red now.

A moment more and Zoro suddenly dropped Sanji's hair, stepping back.

"I'm done," he mumbled, turning away hastily.

Sanji blinked. "R . . . Right," he mumbled, fixing his hair.

By the time Zoro turned back around, Sanji had vanished, presumably woken up by an internal clock. It wasn't long afterwards that Zoro, too, awoke from the dream.

* * *

"You have a _weird_ expression on your face."

"Not now."

"What happened?" Perona said in a sing-song voice, floating circles around Zoro as he headed down the hall. "Tell me, tell me!"

"I'm still trying to figure that out, myself!" Zoro snapped.

"So something _did_ happen!"

"Leave me alone!"

Mihawk didn't bother to comment as he passed by.

* * *

A few days following this awkward meeting, Sanji could be found in the castle's library in the evening, reclining by the fireplace and reading a fantasy tale, which told of a young man who courted the King, but whose face remained a mystery, always hidden under a Venetian mask.

Duval appeared on Sanji's side, using the firelight to his advantage and striking a dramatic pose, the shadows just right. "Greetings, young prince!" he exclaimed. "'Tis I, your favorite sib—"

Sanji yelled out loud and threw the book, just missing the fireplace. Duval glanced back to make sure it hadn't caught the sparks before turning to look at Sanji, who had chosen to stare at the wall.

"Now, you may not care for my introduction, but that was a rather harsh reaction," Duval remarked.

"It wasn't _you_ ," Sanji snapped, running his fingers through his hair. He paused. "You just came at a bad time."

Duval stood and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Then what could possibly have caused such a great reaction from you? Have you realized at last that I am far handsomer than you shall ever be, and the shock was simply too much for you?"

Sanji scowled at him.

". . . Or perhaps not," Duval concluded. "Then what?"

"That is— _none_ of your business."

Duval leaned forward. "Your ears are red . . . it's not particularly chilly in here . . ."

Sanji twitched. "Shut it—for the lo—not your busin—" he stammered. He suddenly groaned out loud. "I can't chase it away!"

"Chase WHAT away?!"

"This stupid thought!"

Duval stared at Sanji thoughtfully. "Pray tell, what makes this thought idiotic?"

"I just—" Sanji bent over and put his head in his hands, staring at the floor and hiding his expression. "I know I couldn't say it . . . not even to h . . ."

He trailed off.

"I'm sure you can tell even ME in due time," Duval declared, misinterpreting the final syllable of Sanji's incomplete statement. He patted Sanji's shoulder and strode out of the room.

Sanji did not move from the chair for quite a while. Soon, he smiled to himself.

* * *

Zoro was in the midst of a visit to la Colline, both to see his friends and to have his sword honed. He'd turned eighteen the previous day.

Merry had just returned home from another assignment. Zoro and Hancock had been consoling them for the past hour in Hancock's room.

"I'll be . . . fine, I think," Merry said at last, wiping away yet more tears. They managed a smile. "Thank you."

"Thank goodness," Hancock said, smiling in turn. "I hate to think how sad we'd all be if you had never cheered up."

Merry giggled. The three turned at the sound of footsteps to see Chopper and Luffy, who had just returned from the forest where Luffy had been overseeing Chopper's flying and transformation practice.

"Are we all better, then?" Luffy said cheerfully, looking around.

"Uh-huh," Merry said. Chopper bounced forward, pulled out a leaf, and transformed into a version of Merry with a silly face. Merry burst into giggles and Chopper transformed back in a fit of laughter.

"Oh, Luffy!" Hancock exclaimed, standing.

"Hi!" Luffy said cheerfully, grinning.

"Your smile fills my heart with warmth, as always," Hancock sighed happily, bringing her hands to her cheeks. "I'm glad you are safe, my darling—I could not bear the thought of some wild beast attacking you!"

"Hey, you don't have to worry about that," Luffy pointed out, folding his arms. "I've got magic on my side, after all!"

"Oh, I was never doubting your ability—!"

"You _must_ be joking!"

The company fell silent and turned to Zoro, who had suddenly yelled. He was staring off to the side.

"Excuse me?" Hancock said at last.

"Not you," Zoro muttered. "I . . . oh, for the lo—for heaven's sake . . ."

He lay on the floor of the room and faced the ceiling. After a moment, he removed his cloak and covered his face with it.

"Zoro?" Chopper whispered.

"I heard a shout," Nami said, poking her head into the room, Robin close behind. "Is there a fight? Are we placing bets?"

"Zoro's being strange," Luffy announced, pointing to the motionless lump on the floor.

Nami glanced down and entered the room. "Zoro, what in the world are you doing?"

Zoro didn't respond. Merry told Robin what was happening while Chopper, Hancock, and Luffy attempted to get a reply.

"I'm _fine_ ," Zoro mumbled from beneath his cloak.

"Then get up," Luffy said, kicking him in the side. Brook and Vivi entered, sensing the slight commotion.

"I'm trying to come to terms with something," Zoro muttered, so quietly they had to strain to hear him.

"Come to terms with _what_?" Chopper said curiously.

"Nothing!"

"Doesn't sound like 'nothing,'" Merry remarked.

It took several attempts to get Zoro to rise. When he finally sat up and put his cloak back on properly, he kept his face covered for a moment more by his hand.

"I think I . . . should return to the castle," he murmured, not quite looking at any of them. "Sorry to cut this short . . ."

The others looked around at each other.

"If you'd like," Luffy agreed at last. "Nami, would you get his sword?"

Nami rolled her eyes and left to grab the blade. Zoro followed Luffy out and to the mouth of the caverns.

"Hey," Luffy said. "Whoever it is, I hope it all turns out well."

Zoro's head shot up and he stared at Luffy in utter surprise. "What—how—?"

"Just a guess," Luffy said. He grinned. "And if I didn't know before, I know now."

Zoro groaned. Nami came out with his sword, which he sheathed with a quick thank-you.

"See you another time," Luffy said cheerfully, and he waved his wand over Zoro, transporting him back to the castle.

* * *

"Good, you're here!" Zoro said abruptly when he came face-to-face with Sanji in the dream.

"Hello to you, too," Sanji said, looking off to the side.

"I have—" Zoro glanced down. "Something . . . to tell you."

"Out with it, then."

Zoro opened his mouth, but froze and snapped it shut.

"I can't."

"Why—?"

"Just, I—" Zoro looked away. "This sort of thing . . . doesn't come easy to me."

"I can wait," Sanji said calmly.

Zoro hesitated, then strode away until he was out of sight.

* * *

The next meeting passed . . . and the next . . . and the next. Each time and for many weeks, Zoro seemed to have an internal struggle on whether or not to speak, only to walk away in silence. Sanji seemed content to wait patiently, though he oft commented on Zoro's lack of resolve.

It was shortly after Sanji turned eighteen that the night finally came.

"So, are we doing this again?" Sanji said.

Zoro hesitated and took a deep breath. He pointed to himself, crossed his arms in an X over his chest, and pointed to Sanji.

Sanji stared at him.

"What was that?"

"I decided that signing would be easier than saying it aloud," Zoro said, apparently proud that he'd figured out a solution.

"I don't know sign language."

Zoro scowled heavily.

"Fine," he snapped. " _Fine,_ I—damn it— _I love you!"_

He turned away, deliberately keeping his face hidden and refusing to look at Sanji.

When laughter met his ears, his head snapped up to look. Sanji was smiling and covering his mouth.

"Okay, fine, make fun of me," Zoro muttered through gritted teeth. "It won't change anything."

"No, you misunderstand," Sanji said, still laughing. "I just— _that's_ what the buildup was for? All that time, you wanted to say _that?"_

"If you think it's so funny, you can go and—"

"But that's a real relief, you know?" Sanji continued, his ears a faint red and his smile ever-present as he glanced to the ground. "I love you, too!"

He had just looked up again when Zoro tackled him to the ground.

"Hey!"

Zoro grabbed his ears. "You _bastard_!" he yelled.

"What?! Stop that!"

"How can _you_ say it so easily?! I had to spend weeks working up the nerve to get it out, but _you_ —!"

Sanji stared at Zoro incredulously and headbutted him, making him let go of his ears. "Don't think you're alone! That didn't come out of nowhere, you idiot! I've been wanting to say it as long as you have! The only difference is, _I_ didn't draw attention to it until I _knew_ I was _ready_!"

"You're such a—!" Zoro grabbed Sanji's cheek with one hand, pinching it sharply.

"Cut that out or I'm going to wake up!" Sanji protested, rolling over so Zoro fell off of him and getting to his feet. Zoro jumped up. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!"

"Yeah?! Bring it on!" Zoro drew his sword threateningly.

Sanji approached him so suddenly that Zoro hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"We're not using blades," he said, prying Zoro's frozen hand from the hilt. He smiled into Zoro's suddenly flustered face and brought his arms around, knocking both of them to the ground again, this time in a hug on their sides.

"You're easy to trip up," Sanji mumbled into Zoro's shoulder. "I'm so glad you love me."

"Someone's feeling giddy," Zoro muttered, pushing him away and smirking into his face. "You're easy to trip up, too, Monsieur Red-Ears."

"Don't ruin the atmosphere," Sanji muttered, rolling his eyes. "So uncouth . . ."

"I'm declaring a courtship," Zoro announced.

"So soon?"

"What's the harm? We've known each other for three years now."

Sanji hesitated.

"That's fair."

"Excellent!"

Now Zoro hesitated. Sanji frowned and said, "What is it now?"

"I've never courted someone before."

"Neither have I!"

"Oh, for—how in the world do we go about this?!"

"I don't know! Should we bring each other gifts?!"

"Ho . . ."

Zoro trailed off. A moment later, he vanished, leaving Sanji lying on his side and facing nothing.

* * *

"So?" Perona said, floating around Zoro as he lay in bed, covering his face. "Will you tell me of your dream?"

"I'll tell you later," he said from beneath the blanket.

"Why not _now_?"

"Let me enjoy this a little longer."

* * *

"I'll tell you in due time, Duval."

"You're smiling, little brother! Something wonderful must have happened!"

"Something wonderful certainly did happen, and I will _tell you later_."

"But—!"

Sanji shut the door on Duval.


	8. Tender Sugar

"You two are _courting_?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Zoro exclaimed.

"Why?" Perona demanded, floating in circles around him. "You're the only one who hears me. If anything, _you_ should keep _your_ voice down!"

"Shut it," Zoro said half-heartedly. He paused in the hall. "It's not that big of a deal, anyway."

"Your expression says it is," Perona said, grinning as she floated upside-down. "I thought you two didn't like each other?"

"That . . . was a long time ago."

"Okay, whatever you say," Perona sang, straightening herself up. "Say, how will you court each other if you only meet in dreams?"

"Courting doesn't have to be in person, does it?" Zoro said, scratching his head. "I'm not up-to-date on this sort of thing."

"Oh, I suppose not," Perona muttered. She grinned again. "You _love_ him . . ."

Zoro glanced to the floor, hiding a smile and folding his arms. "Don't be so annoying. It was hard enough to say to him . . ."

"By the way, le roi Mihawk is behind you," Perona said.

Zoro looked up at her. "Sure."

"Well, he is. He's been standing there for a couple of minutes."

"I'm not falling for this," Zoro snapped. "No one's behind me."

"How good to know my own son thinks of me as 'no one,'" said a dry voice. Zoro whipped around to see Mihawk there.

"Er—good morrow," he said awkwardly. Perona giggled behind him.

"You're courting someone?" Mihawk said, raising an eyebrow.

Zoro hesitated, and then turned around and hurried away.

"He's weirdly bashful about this sort of thing," Perona remarked aloud as Mihawk sighed in resignation.

* * *

"COURTING?!"

Sanji winced. "Keep your stupid voice down!"

"How wonderful, little brother!" Duval cried loudly, shedding tears with a huge smile. The two were in Sanji's room, Duval having burst in demanding that Sanji tell him the news. "At last, you have accepted your feelings and declared love! O, what a marvelous day this is—!"

"Leave me be!"

"Should you want advice of the romantic persuasion, look no further than I, the Handsome Duval!" Duval declared, striking a pose.

"Since when have _you_ managed to court anyone?"

"I can't help it if the ladies are too intimidated by my looks," he protested.

"Well, what of the men?" Sanji muttered.

"Ah, little brother, how naïve," Duval sighed. "The day I marry a man is the day HE is handsomer than I!"

"Right." Sanji turned Duval around and began pushing him to the door. "Out."

"If you need advice on hygie—"

Sanji shoved him out the door and slammed it shut.

* * *

"So . . ."

Sanji held a bouquet of red roses and shyly offered them to Zoro. Zoro took them and looked at him for an explanation.

"I thought it would be a nice gift," Sanji said, smiling. "Since we're—"

Zoro tossed the roses away and they vanished in the grass. The two were at the edge of the woods close to the entrance of la Colline.

"What was _that_ for?!" Sanji exclaimed.

"I don't care for bouquets."

"You didn't have to throw them away!" Sanji protested, throwing his arms up. "For goodness' sake—!"

"I appreciate it and all, I'm just saying I don't care for bouquets!" Zoro exclaimed. "It's not like you went to the trouble of picking them in the first place, is it?!"

"Would that I could!" Sanji snapped. "Did _you_ think of anything?"

"I'm not really sure what the point of gifts is here," Zoro muttered. "It's not like we'll keep them once we're awake—"

"So you didn't think of anything."

Zoro scowled. "What do you _want_?"

"You've known me for years! Can't you take your best guess?!"

"Like I said, nothing's going to stay for more than a few hours!" Zoro pointed out. "I could ask Usopp and Franky to make you the best pots and pans in the nation, only you _wouldn't really have them_!"

Sanji hesitated. "You'd do that?"

"Of course," Zoro muttered, looking away. Sanji glanced to Usopp and Franky, whose images had appeared nearby at Zoro's words.

"A dwarf and a goblin?"

"Two dwarfs."

"I see." Sanji smiled as the two vanished. "You know some interesting characters."

Zoro glanced back up. "Yeah," he said, smiling. "Luffy, Nami, and Vivi are faeries—I've known them all my life, and I'm told they attended my christening ceremony."

The three appeared around him, floating as he spoke.

"Oh, what lovely ladies," Sanji remarked. He offered his hand to Nami. "Madame, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Nami vanished. Sanji turned to Vivi, but she hid behind Zoro, who scowled.

"Just what do I mean to you?" he snapped as she and Luffy vanished.

"I'm a gentleman, through and through," Sanji said, stepping forward, "and I learned to treat ladies with the utmost courtesy, which means at _least_ offering a kiss on the hand. I suppose you never learned such manners?"

"Not particularly," Zoro muttered. "I was only taught to treat others with respect within reason, regardless of who they were. But if you'd like . . ."

He held out his hand. Sanji took it curiously and Zoro dipped his head to kiss the back.

"A pleasure to be courting you, Monsieur," he said smoothly, looking back up. Sanji looked rather startled.

"Who knew you could be so polite," he remarked at last, recovering.

Zoro dropped his hand and shrugged. "I can when I want to be."

Sanji grinned. "Who else do you know? You've mentioned a mute siren, haven't you?"

Zoro took it in turn to show Sanji his friends. Sanji was surprised to see Robin had no snakes upon her head, how tall and humanlike Brook was (since he'd heard sirens were part merfolk), and that Chopper was able to fly.

"There's one more," Zoro said, and Hancock appeared by his side. Sanji gaped at the sight of her.

Zoro waved his hand to get Sanji's attention. "She's a succubus," he explained.

"Oh," Sanji said, forcing himself to look away from her. "My goodness . . ."

"We get along well enough," Zoro added. Hancock vanished. "We might've been friends sooner if she hadn't tried to kill me . . ."

" _What?!"_

Zoro winced. "Calm down," he muttered. "All that happened was she had a grudge against my Father and tried to take it out on me. I'm still cursed, apparently, but I shan't die."

Sanji took a deep breath. "Cursed?" he repeated, calming down.

"I've been told I'll fall into a deep sleep in my twentieth year," Zoro explained nonchalantly. "It seems I'll be able to wake easily, however, so it's nothing to worry over."

"What star were you born under, to have such a strange life?"

Zoro shrugged. "I was able to meet you, so it must have been a lucky star."

Sanji's ears turned pink. "Well," he said, but was unable to find the words to continue. Instead, he shook his head and grinned.

"What were we talking about before all this?" Zoro said absently.

"Gifts and courting."

"Oh, yes."

A pause.

"Hold still, if you would," Zoro said, approaching Sanji so there existed little space between them. "I have an idea."

He eyed Sanji, who stood still and folded his arms.

"Here," he said at last, nodding, and small, bright blue flowers sprouted all around Sanji's hair like a twisting tiara. Sanji reached up and carefully felt them, and a smile grew upon his face to match the decorations.

"How do I look?" he murmured, for mirrors always failed in the dream world.

"Perfect."

"I thought you didn't care for bouquets."

Zoro shrugged. "Flowers are nice enough, but I think I like them the most on you."

He didn't seem to realize how flattering he'd been until Sanji grabbed him in a hug, smiling widely.

"Hey!"

"Want me to grow some flowers in that grass hair of yours?" Sanji said into the back of Zoro's neck.

Zoro pushed him away. "If you'd like."

Sanji waved his hand over Zoro's head and small, white flowers sprouted up in a circle. Zoro grinned.

"How does it look?"

"Beautiful."

* * *

"Zoro?" Hancock said curiously. "Are you feeling well?"

"What? Are you ill?" Chopper (masquerading as Merry) said in alarm, looking up.

"Huh?" Zoro said. "Why would I be ill?"

"Someone's ill?" Vivi exclaimed, poking her head in, Luffy close behind. They came in.

"I'm not feverish or anything," Zoro muttered.

"You had an odd expression on your face just now is all," Hancock remarked. "Chopper was saying how funny it would be if you could sprout flowers in that hair, and then—"

"Ah, there's that face again!" Chopper exclaimed, transforming back.

Vivi eyed Zoro and smiled. "Monsieur Zoro, who's on your mind?"

"What do you mean, 'who?'"

Luffy laughed. "So you finally got that worked out, huh?"

"Your face is the same as Madame Hancock's when she's with Monsieur Luffy," Vivi explained.

"Damn, it's that obvious?" Zoro muttered.

"Oh, that's why it looked familiar!" Chopper exclaimed as Hancock smiled at Luffy.

Luffy lay on his back and used his feet to scoot over to Zoro headfirst. "So?" he said, smiling. "Who is it?"

"No one you know . . ."

"Are you quite sure?" Vivi asked, sitting next to him and leaning forward to look at him.

" _Quite_ sure."

"What're they like?" Chopper asked, sitting on Luffy's stomach.

Zoro smiled up at the ceiling. "He's got such a great smile and eyes, and he's so graceful when he walks, he loves to cook and his hands feel amazing, or at least I think they do . . ."

"Love is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" Hancock sighed, staring at Luffy.

"I wouldn't know," Luffy said cheerfully, "but it sounds wonderful. What does Mihawk think about this, Zoro?"

"He, ah," Zoro mumbled, "he doesn't know."

The party gasped softly.

"A secret affair," Chopper whispered.

"Forced to court in the shadows," Hancock murmured.

"Forbidden love at its finest," Vivi added.

"Doomed to end in . . . _tragedy_ ," Luffy said in a hushed tone.

They burst into laughter.

"So, are you planning to tell him, or are you keeping it secret for now?" Luffy asked cheerfully.

Zoro shrugged. "The circumstances are . . . unusual, so I'd rather hold off on telling him."

"Unusual?" Chopper asked, flipping himself over on Luffy's front.

"It's a long story," Zoro muttered, looking away.

"How did it happen?" Hancock asked. "Was it love at first sight, like with Luffy and me?"

Luffy laughed. "What are you talking about? You didn't like me at all when we first met!"

"Oh," Zoro said in surprise. "You, too?"

"So you and this Man of Mystery didn't like each other at first, is that it?" Hancock asked with a smirk.

"Good lord, no, we fought all the time," Zoro exclaimed. "It was nary half a year ago when we conf—"

He paused and turned away.

"Don't be shy," Luffy coaxed. "Tell us!"

"I'm done."

* * *

A fortnight had passed since Zoro's nineteenth birthday, and for the moment, at least, he and Sanji were content to lie in the grass of their dreams, their heads next to each other and their arms casually placed so their hands just touched. Who knew how many meetings this made—sometimes a week would pass between meetings, yet other times it was only the next night when they met again.

"Hey," Sanji said as a few flowers grew around them.

"Hey," Zoro muttered, his eyes closed.

"Do you . . . that is, er . . ." Sanji glanced over at Zoro. "Do you want to . . ."

"Want to what?" His eyes were still shut.

"Do you want to kiss?"

Zoro's eyes shot open and he rolled away from Sanji.

"You can just say if you'd rather not," Sanji muttered. They sat up.

"I wasn't expecting that is all," Zoro muttered, glancing to the side. "What brought that up?"

"I . . . you know," Sanji said, looking up and playing with his hair. "You're supposed to kiss who you . . . love."

"So . . . did you ask because it's what we're _supposed_ to do?" Zoro said, eyeing him. "Or because you _want_ —"

"Both," Sanji said quickly. "I mean—that is, er—I want to. I'd like to."

Zoro shifted his legs.

"Do— _you_ want—?"

"Yes," Zoro said. "I . . . I think so."

"You _think_ so—?"

"I've never kissed anyone!"

"Neither have I!"

Zoro stood and held out his hand. The second Sanji took it, Zoro yanked him to his feet.

"I guess now's a good time to learn," he muttered.

A pause.

"Where do we even start?"

"I think . . ." Sanji leaned forward and pressed his lips to Zoro's cheek. He soon did the same to the other side.

"That's easy enough, isn't it?" he said almost defiantly.

Zoro nodded and did the same to Sanji. Neither had to stand on tiptoe to reach the other.

"Right, then," Sanji muttered. He tilted his head up and pecked Zoro's nose, pulling back the second he made contact and ducking his head.

Zoro used one hand to tilt Sanji's head back up and gently kissed his nose as well. He took perhaps a second longer than Sanji had.

"Well," he muttered, glancing side-to-side as if expecting someone to creep up on them.

"Well—what?"

Zoro shrugged. "What now?"

Sanji brought his arms around Zoro's back and held on, drawing him close. Zoro mirrored him after a moment, his actions uncertain. Their faces were so close they'd be able to feel each other's breath in the waking world, and as it was, they were caught by each other's eyes, steel grey and ocean blue.

It was Zoro who finally made a move. He brought his hand around to the back of Sanji's head, leaned forward—hesitated, leaned back, tilted his head ever-so-slightly, leaned forward again—and pressed his lips to Sanji's, their foreheads just apart.

Sanji's eyes shot wide open and he tensed, but he saw how Zoro's brow wrinkled and how his eyes were shut tight—he let his eyes close and he relaxed against Zoro, shifting his arms on his back. They imagined they could almost feel the other as if it wasn't a dream, as if this was happening in person.

They broke apart with small gasps, despite that neither needed breath in the dream. Sanji's ears glowed red and Zoro's face was similarly colored—

And before their eyes, each flickered and vanished.

* * *

Sanji sat up in bed suddenly with a gasp. Calming down, he looked around in the dark and slowly came to.

He brushed against his lips with a finger as if to mimic the dream. Smiling, he fell back onto his pillow and adjusted his blanket.

* * *

Zoro shot up from his pillow and looked around. Luckily, Perona was nowhere to be seen. He sighed, regaining his breathing.

He clenched his blanket in one hand and raised the other to his lips. At the last second, he paused, shook his head with a little smile, and lay back down, falling asleep again in no time.

* * *

"I—"

"Hey—"

Zoro and Sanji paused, seeing each other once again.

"We both woke up?" Zoro said at last.

Sanji grinned in an abashed sort of way. "I suppose so. You know how it is, being surprised or—"

He cut himself off.

"Was it good?"

Sanji hesitated. "Pardon?"

Zoro glanced down to the side. "I mean . . . did you like it?"

"I—yes."

Zoro looked up in relief. "Excellent."

"What about you?"

"It was . . . wonderful."

Sanji leaned forward and lightly kissed the corner of Zoro's lips.

"That's good to know," he said, smirking.

"A competition, huh?" Zoro muttered, leaning around and kissing Sanji's ear. "If that's how you want it!"

* * *

After much persistent questioning, Sanji eventually admitted to Duval the next morning that he and Zoro had shared a kiss at last (he gave no more details than this, though his ears were quite pink). Zoro relented to Perona almost immediately, though like Sanji, he refused to share details, enjoying keeping her in the dark.


	9. Fake Orchestra

"It's been some time since our last sparring session," Mihawk stated, standing tall in the courtyard and facing Zoro.

Zoro nodded. Both had their hands clasped behind their backs and their swords sheathed at their right sides.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir."

They bowed to each other and drew their swords.

" _En garde_ ," Mihawk announced, and they began dueling, sparks flying and swords clashing. Each knew of the other's skill and did not make any moves they knew the other could not block.

But throughout the duel, Zoro found his mind wandering, despite that muscle memory kept his blade going in the usual fashion. He couldn't help but think of how hostile he and Sanji had been towards each other when they'd first met, always spitting insults and sparring with sword and leg.

And how long that had gone on! But when had it changed?

Sometime following the funeral of Sanji's mother? Yes, it was around then . . .

It was the words of praise, wasn't it? The ones which had kept both their minds occupied for months on end until they'd finally confronted each other about it . . .

And later they'd confessed that they—well.

And the kisses—they had felt almost real, the way th—

It was a slash of blinding pain which brought Zoro back to earth. His hand had slipped, had failed to block the newest blow.

He dropped to one knee, clutching his sword and bringing his other hand up to the left side of his face, both eyes squeezed shut.

"Zoro?"

Zoro felt something warm and wet beneath his hand.

"I'll get you to the medic."

* * *

Zoro left the clinic, his face bandaged so his left eye was covered. Mihawk's blade had done quite the damage.

Mihawk himself met Zoro partway.

"Apologies," Zoro said, bowing. "I should have blocked that. I let my mind wander; it won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't," Mihawk said sternly. "I, too, apologize. I noticed you were distracted, however . . . what could have pulled your mind away?"

Zoro shook his head, straightening up. "It's nothing."

* * *

"ZORO! What happened to your eye?!" Chopper exclaimed.

In la Colline, Zoro found himself surrounded by an eager crowd. Vivi relayed what they saw to Robin.

"An accident while dueling," Zoro admitted, touching his left eye. The bandages had been removed at last, leaving a shiny, thick, vertical scar over the eyelid. "My hand slipped, that's all."

Brook signed something.

"'Can I see out—?' I'm afraid not," Zoro admitted. "The muscle was damaged, so I can't open it even if I wasn't blinded."

"We could fix it, if you like," Luffy offered, raising his wand. Nami and Vivi did the same, almost threateningly.

"Oh, I—I appreciate it, but that's not necessary," Zoro said, waving a hand. They lowered their wands. "I don't mind too much, and this is a good reminder not to drop my guard in a duel again."

"I'm so glad it wasn't too bad," Merry sighed, peering up at the wound curiously. "I wouldn't look forward to escorting you anywhere . . ."

"Are you sure you won't even let them fix the eyelid damage?" Usopp said loudly, approaching Zoro and examining the scar closely. "Franky and I would be happy to make you a glass eye—"

"Anytime," Franky said eagerly. "It could shoot a beam of light—"

"With different colors, and the eye itself could be blue and gold—"

"No, I think green and gold would suit him more—"

"The eyeball is still intact, you know," Zoro muttered.

"Yes, but that could be removed," Franky said dismissively.

"I'm not allowing either of you near my face!"

* * *

"What happened?!"

Zoro winced at the worry in Sanji's tone. He briefly explained what had happened with his eye.

"But it's nothing to cry over," he finished. "Hey, I'm talking to you. Don't be upset."

"You should take better care of yourself," Sanji said at last. "Since when do you get distracted in a duel? Did someone compliment you?"

"Shut it!"

"It doesn't look awful," Sanji said, tilting his head up to press his lips softly on the scar while his hands rested on Zoro's shoulders. "Really, it almost suits you . . . a battle scar for the warrior."

"I'm no warrior," Zoro protested, draping his arms over Sanji's shoulders and resting his head on one.

"You sure do seem like one to me," Sanji said, grabbing Zoro and dragging him to the ground so he himself lay on top.

Zoro flipped him over. "If you say so."

"Still, that you can't see out of one eye . . ." Sanji murmured, flipping him back over.

"Says the one who _chooses_ to cover half his face," Zoro pointed out, flipping him over again. They were a few meters from their starting point now.

"I can see a bit through my hair. Just because others can't see my left eye . . ." Sanji flipped him over.

"Regardless," Zoro said, flipping Sanji over once more and leaning down to touch noses, "it's not important."

* * *

When they next met, Sanji had made a slight change to his style. His hair was now parted on the left and combed down over the right side of his face, obscuring that eye from view. The eyebrow on his left side curled towards his nose rather than his ear.

"What's with the change?" Zoro asked in surprise.

"We . . ." Sanji's ears went pink. "It sort of completes us, doesn't it? Now your left eye's covered, and my right's covered . . . so . . ."

He trailed off.

"Maybe it was silly," he muttered.

"It is," Zoro said. "But I appreciate it all the same. You look good either way."

Sanji grinned.

* * *

"There you go!"

Zoro, Hancock, and Vivi had come out to the woods with Chopper to observe his flying and transformation practice. They watched the sky as Chopper came floating down, straining to keep a steady pace so he would not crash.

"Keep it up!" Vivi exclaimed.

"You've not much farther to go!" Hancock called.

Chopper picked up speed, but it was not dangerous yet, so Vivi needed not fly up to catch him. He floated down bit by bit until he landed safely on the forest floor—perhaps a bit hard, but safely.

"I did it!" he cheered, jumping up and down. "I didn't crash, and I flew to the treetops!"

"Congratulations!" Vivi exclaimed, leaning down to pick him up. "You did so well!"

Zoro grinned. "That was really impressive, Chopper."

"Aw . . . compliments won't make me happy, you bastards!" Chopper exclaimed happily, wriggling in Vivi's arms.

Hancock eyed Zoro as he smiled at Chopper's antics.

"Zoro . . ."

Zoro, Vivi, and Chopper looked over to Hancock.

"I just want to say . . ." Hancock smiled. "I'm so glad my curse didn't hold as I'd intended."

Zoro rubbed the back of his neck. "Strangest way to give a compliment I've ever heard, but I'll take it. Thank you."

Vivi smiled and turned around. "Should we go back? I think Chopper's tired."

"'M not," Chopper protested, though he made no move to walk on his own.

They began making their way back to la Colline, Zoro bringing up the rear.

"It's just over half a year until your twentieth birthday, Monsieur Zoro, is it not?" Vivi asked.

Hancock glanced to the side while Zoro nodded. "Yes, that sounds right."

"Curses and other magics can be fickle things, especially if one is not practiced in casting them," Vivi said, shooting a glance at Hancock, who became fascinated with the ground. "Things can go wrong in unexpected ways."

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying I might die after all?"

"Possibly, though I pray that isn't the case," Vivi said. "It is always difficult to say with this sort of thing."

She unconsciously tightened her grip on Chopper but quickly loosened up again when he squeaked in alarm.

"I'll take whatever comes my way," Zoro said confidently. "I'm sure if anything went wrong, magic would be able to fix it anyhow."

Vivi said nothing.

* * *

"What do you mean, you've never—?"

"I _mean_ I've _never danced_ ," Zoro said, looking away. "It's not difficult to understand."

Sanji folded his arms. "Why in the world not?"

"The occasion never arose."

"I'll teach you."

Zoro looked back. "Pardon?"

"I'll teach you to dance," Sanji said, "if you like."

Zoro shrugged. "I suppose . . . but shouldn't a dance have music to it?"

"I know a song," Sanji said, smiling. He closed his eyes for a moment, and soon an orchestral melody faded into the dream.

"What's this?"

"I don't recall the title, but I've always found it lovely," Sanji said. He extended a hand. "May I have this dance?"

"Of course."

Sanji narrowed his eyes. "Take my hand."

"Oh—" Zoro lifted his own hand and placed it into Sanji's waiting palm.

"Now, we bring these . . . here," Sanji said, drawing closer and stretching both their arms so their clasped hands were out to the side. With his other hand he reached around and held Zoro's back; a look encouraged Zoro to do the same.

"Follow my lead, one foot at a time . . ."

They began slowly stepping back and forth, sometimes spinning, and soon sped up to match the music's tempo. Their heights, even now, were the same, and Sanji smiled into Zoro's right eye while Zoro gazed dumbly at Sanji's left.

"You've got the hang of it," Sanji said. As the music slowed, so did they.

"You think so?" Zoro muttered, glancing down.

"Aye." Sanji brought their outstretched hands closer so they bent at the chest and hovered just at their shoulders. Their steps and spins were so slow one would think the clock had frozen just for them.

They had stopped altogether by the time the music faded away, their bodies pressed close and their foreheads touching. Neither dared say it aloud, but each imagined they could feel the other's warmth.

"Do you ever get the feeling . . ." Zoro murmured. "That you're having a dream so good . . . you don't want to wake up from it?"

"Yes . . . and it's been happening more and more."

They kissed slowly, lingering on the moment.


	10. Stay in Your Coma

"Zoro . . ."

"Hm?" Zoro said, looking at Sanji. They'd been arguing over what color looked best on Sanji (Zoro said pink, Sanji insisted on blue) when Sanji had trailed off, only speaking up again after a minute of silence.

"Are you real?"

"Pardon?"

Sanji looked him in the eye. "I mean . . . do you really exist outside my dreams? Do you really wake up from your own dreams like I do? Or are you . . . just a figment of the mind after all?"

Zoro scowled. "Watch who you're calling a figment." He sighed. "I understand where you're coming from, don't worry. _Yes_ , I'm real. I really do live in a castle with a ghost who follows me around." He looked at Sanji. "Are _you_ real?"

"Yes, of course," Sanji exclaimed. "I really do have an older brother and I really do enjoy cooking." A smile burst onto his face. "It's such a relief to hear this kind of thing . . . you know?"

"Aye," Zoro muttered, hiding his great relief.

"I was so worried at the start that you . . ." Sanji hesitated. "Well—that I'd just created you spontaneously—"

"It was the same with me," Zoro admitted. "I . . ."

He paused. "Damn, I'm waking up. We'll meet again soon."

"I love you," Sanji murmured, pressing a quick kiss to Zoro's forehead just before he vanished.

* * *

It was not three days after that the day of Zoro's twentieth birthday arrived at last.

"Today's the day of the curse, huh?" Perona remarked.

Zoro glanced at her. "How do you—? Have I ever mentioned it?"

"I was there at your christening," Perona said. "Didn't I ever tell you? I saw it happen. I know _all_ about it."

"Oh."

Zoro flexed his hands as he left his room. "I don't _feel_ sleepy."

"It won't just happen out of the blue," Perona said, floating next to him.

"Then how?" Zoro said as he entered the dining hall. "Will I just be unlucky?"

"Well, according to—"

Perona paused as they entered, and Zoro looked up to see her cause for silence: Luffy, Nami, Vivi, and Hancock were seated all in a row at the table, Luffy closest to Mihawk's place and Hancock farthest. Mihawk himself sat at the head of the table, eyeing Hancock suspiciously.

"Good morrow, Zoro!" Luffy said brightly, waving.

"Good morrow to you all," Zoro said, seating himself. "What's . . . ?"

"We've come to discuss making peace between Hancock and your father after we sort this out," Nami explained. "We all think it's about time to bury the hatchet."

Zoro took "we all" to mean just the faeries. He started on breakfast slowly. Mihawk apparently decided he trusted Hancock enough to look away and did the same.

"By the by, Zoro, who's your friend?" Luffy asked cheerfully. He had his own helping of food, while the others had chosen not to eat.

"Friend?" Zoro said, glancing at Perona, who had decided to float in the seat next to Zoro as if joining the meal.

"Yes, her," Luffy said.

Zoro's brow furrowed. "You can _see_ her?"

"You can see me?" Perona exclaimed at the same time.

"See who?" Mihawk snapped.

"Of course we can see you," Vivi said gently, smiling at Perona. "In all honesty, I'm more surprised Monsieur Zoro can."

"I was surprised, too," Perona admitted, smiling. "No other human had been able to see me for the longest time."

"This is Perona," Zoro said. "Perona . . . Luffy, Nami, Vivi, and Hancock."

Perona nodded.

Mihawk cleared his throat. "Would someone tell me what's going on?"

"There's a ghost girl named Perona next to Zoro," Nami said.

"A ghost?" Mihawk said. He looked at Zoro. "Does this mean . . . all those times you seemed to be talking to yourself . . . ?"

"I was talking to her."

Mihawk nodded slowly and returned to his meal.

"Hey, Perona," Luffy said, "a friend of ours is a Valkyrie. We could ask them to come bring you to the afterlife after we sort this out, if you'd like."

"Really?" Perona said, straightening and looking at him eagerly. "I can finally . . . ?"

"I wouldn't miss you, that's for sure," Zoro said. Perona frowned and stuck her arms through his torso, making him drop his fork and shiver violently.

"You two get along so well," Vivi remarked.

* * *

"Right, then . . ."

Luffy looked around the throne room. "Before anything happens, we should try to prevent the curse from occurring if at all possible. Keep Zoro away from blades and whatnot."

"Right," Hancock said. "Zoro, do you have your sword with you?"

A pause. Luffy, Hancock, Vivi, Nami, Perona, and Mihawk looked around.

"Where did Zoro go?" Nami exclaimed.

"He must have gone up to his room," Luffy said, looking to the door.

"I'll check on him," Perona said quickly. She flew off and Vivi relayed what she'd said to Mihawk.

"I don't know much about spirits, but I'm certain this girl couldn't physically stop him from reaching a blade," Mihawk said. He turned. "Let's go."

* * *

"Zoro, listen to me!"

Zoro paused in unsheathing his sword. "What?"

"I was going to tell you earlier—oh, put that away!" Perona shrieked as Zoro unsheathed his sword fully.

"Since when are you scared of a blade?" Zoro asked as he began swinging it. "I was thinking I needed to practice, and I'm sure Father and the others can sort this out without me."

" _I'm_ not scared of it," Perona said, temper flaring, "but _you_ should be! If you would put that away and _listen_ to me—!"

"I can do two things at once," Zoro said impatiently. "Spit it out."

"It's the curse, you ass, it said you'd cut yourself on a blade and fall asleep!" Perona exclaimed. "Better to try to prevent it than encourage it to happen!"

"Why didn't you say so?" Zoro said, slowing his swings to a halt.

"I was _trying_ to!"

Zoro began sliding his sword back into its sheath. "Well, do forgive me for n—ugh!"

He let his sword go and lifted his right hand. The blade had left a long, shallow gash in his palm, and blood welled up, dripping down his arm.

"Oh, for the love of—" Perona exclaimed, exasperated, as Mihawk and the others entered.

"I guess I wasn't lucky enough," Zoro remarked, studying his palm.

His eye drooped and he sank to his knees. Heavy sleep fell over him like a blanket as he tipped onto his side and his eye slipped shut.

"Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed. Vivi hurried forward and pressed an ear to his chest.

"He's breathing," she announced. "He really is . . . just sleeping."

The others sighed in relief.

"Mon roi, would you do the honors?" Nami asked, turning to Mihawk, who nodded.

But he had taken not three steps when his limbs grew heavy.

"What . . . ?"

Mihawk collapsed just like Zoro had. Luffy cried out and knelt to check on him.

"He's breathing," he said in relief. He slapped Mihawk's face a few times to no avail.

"What just happened?" Nami demanded. "Hancock?"

Hancock shook her head frantically. "Something must have gone wrong, I don't know!"

"Perona, would you mind checking on the others in the castle?" Luffy asked. Perona nodded and shot off through the door.

Luffy went to Zoro, drew his wand, and muttered a quick spell. The wound on Zoro's hand healed without a trace left over.

"It was a kiss of true love, wasn't it?" he murmured, turning Zoro over so he lay on his back. He looked up at Vivi. "We all love Zoro. Would one of us do?"

Vivi shrugged helplessly. "It wouldn't hurt to try . . ."

Luffy knelt and gave a chaste kiss to Zoro's cheek, withdrawing quickly. But Zoro and Mihawk slept on.

"Nami?" Luffy said desperately, looking up. Nami nodded, came forward, and performed the same action—but nothing happened. Vivi and Hancock tried as well to no avail.

"It must be because we're . . . not humans?" Vivi suggested. "Oh, no . . ."

Perona returned. "As far as I can see, everyone else in the castle's fallen asleep," she reported.

"Damn it all!" Hancock exclaimed. "This was never supposed to happen, this—!"

"Hancock, calm down," Luffy said quickly. "None of us meant for any of this. In the meantime, we should look in on the the citizens, shouldn't we? If anyone's awake, perhaps they could wake Zoro, or at least we can tell them what's happening."

Hancock nodded. "You're right . . . yes."

Nami used her wand to lift Zoro up and onto his bed. She adjusted his limbs so he lay comfortably.

"Let's go," Luffy said, heading for the door, Hancock close behind. "Perona, will you come with us?"

Perona shook her head. "I can't go very far from the castle," she muttered. "I've tried."

"Oh, well then," Luffy said. "Wait here, we'll be back sooner or later."

He waved his wand over the company and they vanished. Perona floated over to Zoro and knelt by the bed.

"You're an idiot," she muttered. "The only human I can talk to, and you . . ."

She trailed off and looked away.

"Stupid."

* * *

Once Nami had returned from carrying Mihawk to his bedroom, the faeries, Hancock, and Perona gathered in Zoro's room once more.

"So . . . the bad news is that every person in the kingdom has fallen asleep," Luffy said bleakly. "We put everyone to bed so they won't wake up sore."

"We think it happened because Zoro and le roi Mihawk represent this kingdom," Nami explained, folding her arms tightly. "By putting a curse on one, the entire land was affected . . ." She shot a reproachful look at Hancock, who pressed her lips together and looked down.

"The good news is that we've placed this kingdom under protection," Vivi said with a weak smile. "So, at least until everyone wakes . . . no opposing nations will attack, and no harm shall befall anyone."

"But how will everyone wake?" Perona demanded.

"The only way must be for Zoro to receive true love's kiss after all," Hancock said. "But . . . since it must be from a human, and everyone he's ever known is slumbering . . ."

A gloomy silence settled over them.

"Oh, Perona," Luffy said, looking up, "not that this is all sorted out, but would you like us to invite Merry over to bring you to the afterlife?"

Perona frowned. "Without saying goodbye to _that_ idiot?" She gestured to Zoro. "No way! I'm staying right here until he wakes up!"

"Suit yourself," Nami said. "Everyone, let us return home. The others should know what happened."

"Hancock, you're going to tell them, understand?" Luffy said sternly. Hancock only nodded as wands were raised and they were vanished away.

Perona folded her arms. "I do hope they come to visit soon," she muttered. "Sleeping folk aren't good company at all."

Nonetheless, she floated back to Zoro and crossed her legs in midair, hovering by his bed.


	11. The Meaning of His Tears

**One more cohptohap after this!**

* * *

Perona looked up in alarm at a sudden movement in the room, but relaxed when she realized it was only Vivi.

"Hello," she said gloomily. They were in Zoro's room; two months had passed since the curse had taken hold over the kingdom.

"Madame," Vivi said with a short nod. "How is he?"

"The same as ever," Perona muttered. "He usually moves more than this when he's sleeping . . ."

Vivi approached Zoro and placed a hand on his forehead. "He isn't dreaming," she said after a moment, taking her hand away. "That may be why. His health is good, in any case . . ."

"Not dreaming, huh?" Perona murmured.

Vivi straightened up and looked at Zoro rather sadly. "We're holding out hope the curse will wear off on its own," she said. "If not . . ."

She shook her head.

"Are you quite sure you wouldn't like to meet with Ser Merry now?" she added, looking up at Perona.

"Like I said before, I won't go until this is all sorted out," Perona snapped.

"Very well," Vivi said. She curtsied. "I'll be on my way. Fare thee well."

She vanished, leaving Perona alone with Zoro once more.

* * *

"I love you!"

"No!" Sanji slashed his sword through another image of Zoro which had appeared in his dream. The vision vanished.

Sanji turned around and saw another one, smiling at him.

"A pleasure to be courting you, Monsieur—"

"Stop this!" A slash and this Zoro, too, vanished.

"I _mean_ I've _never_ _danced_ —"

Sanji whipped around and sliced his blade through this new Zoro. The image disappeared; Sanji dropped his sword and clutched his head. He had just turned twenty, and Zoro had not appeared in his dreams for months.

"This isn't right, he isn't here," he exclaimed frantically. "This is _wrong_ —where _are_ you?!"

"Hey."

Sanji looked up to see yet another Zoro standing.

"I'm here," he said, extending a hand. "It's me. I'm real."

Sanji narrowed his eyes and shook his head. A wave of his hand and the image was gone.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" he cried out loud, bowing his head. "Did something happen to him?! Where is he?! Where are you?! Answer me!"

He sat up in his bed with a gasp. Sunlight streamed through the window and Duval, right on time, burst through the door.

"GOOD morning, little brother!" he yelled. "I have come to—"

He paused when he saw Sanji's expression.

"So he has yet to show his face again?" he asked, dropping his voice.

"I don't understand," Sanji said bleakly, drawing his knees to his chest. "I keep dreaming of him, but it's not _him_ , they're only copies, illusions—"

He pushed his hair up with a hand.

"I couldn't have imagined him this whole time, could've I?" he whispered. "It all felt so _real_ , like those times weren't dreams at all . . . how could I have made it up . . . ?"

Duval patted his back rather hard. "Never fear," he said confidently. "I'm sure your love will turn up sooner or later!"

Sanji side-eyed him. "He's never taken this long before," he muttered.

"Have faith!"

* * *

That year's summer was as warm as ever, but Sanji rarely left the castle, opting to stay in his room. He rarely even helped cook meals anymore.

"Sanji," Zeff said one night at dinner. "What in the world is wrong with you?"

Sanji looked up.

"You've been moping about for ages," Zeff said sternly. "What could be troubling you so much?"

Sanji shrugged and returned to his meal moodily. Zeff looked at Duval, who only shrugged, not willing to confide Sanji's personal life to his father. Zeff sighed and the meal continued in silence.

* * *

"I'm leaving."

Duval glanced over to Sanji, who was staring out the window. The trees outside were coated in deep warm shades.

"Pardon?"

"I'm leaving," Sanji said. "I need to get out of here. Maybe it will help clear my head, and help me stop thinking of . . . him."

His hands shook.

"Wherever shall you go?" Duval exclaimed in surprise.

"I don't know."

Sanji straightened up and turned away.

* * *

He prepared for his journey within the week. Soon he stood at the castle entrance, facing his father and Duval.

"I'll be off," he said with little emotion, staring at the ground. "I shall return within the year."

"Good luck," Duval exclaimed.

Sanji nodded and turned around.

"Hey," Zeff said. "I'll miss your cooking."

Sanji froze where he stood. He trembled for a moment, hesitating, before he whipped around and hugged his father for the first time in years.

"Thank you," he whispered, his voice broken.

It wasn't long before he let go and straightened up. With a nod, he turned back around and went down the path, setting off on his travels.

"He'll be fine," Duval said confidently as he and Zeff turned around.

Zeff grunted. "I know."

* * *

A month had passed since Sanji had set off from his home. He had just run out of food and luckily happened upon a tavern—he must have been in a neighboring kingdom or on the edge of his own.

"Pardon me," he said to the person behind the counter, "may I have something to eat?"

"Aye," the person muttered. She eyed Sanji thoughtfully. "You're awfully polite."

Sanji offered a weak smile. "I do apologize, it's my first time here. I could be far ruder if you prefer."

"Nah," she said. "It's a nice change. Give me a bit."

The food was brought out and Sanji paid, insisting that the change be kept.

"You a traveller?" the woman asked, leaning over the counter and watching Sanji eat.

Sanji shrugged. "For the time being." The food at this place was not up to the standard he was accustomed to, but he could appreciate anything which didn't taste like street waste.

"Where are you off to?"

Sanji shrugged again. "I don't . . . I'm just travelling. Perhaps you know of someplace I could go sightseeing?"

"I know a place you _shouldn't_ go," the woman said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. "There's a kingdom not far from here. A customer told me about this the other day."

"Oh?"

"Aye. He said the streets were deserted, and when he entered the houses, every occupant was fast asleep." She raised her eyebrows. "Can you imagine? And _apparently_ , when he tried to steal from one house, he just . . . couldn't. Like something invisible was stopping him."

"Is that so," Sanji murmured.

"He said someone appeared in front of him out of thin air," the woman continued as Sanji slowly finished off his meal. "Looked like a human, but scared him out of his wits. That's when he ran off." She looked off to the side. "Place sounds cursed, if you ask me."

"You don't say," Sanji said, tipping the rest of his drink into his mouth. He stood. "Madame, thank you very much for the meal. Could you point me in the direction of this cursed kingdom?"

The woman looked startled. "Why would you want to—?"

"Who knows," Sanji said dryly. "I may well find something exciting. At this point, I don't think I would mind too much if this curse ended up killing me."

The woman narrowed her eyes, but didn't comment. "It should be to the west," she said. "Perhaps five day's travel from here."

Sanji bowed graciously. "Thank you very much, Madame, I wish you the best." With one last wave, he left the tavern.

* * *

Just as the tavern-keeper had predicted, Sanji arrived at the kingdom on the fifth morning. His belly was well in need of food and his body in need of rest.

He slowly travelled the streets. As he had heard, they were deserted and looked unused. Peeking into nearby houses showed only sleeping folk who failed to wake even with shouts and knocks.

As Sanji turned the corner, someone appeared in front of him from thin air, a figure wearing a red robe and a bedhead of dark hair. Sanji stumbled backwards and got into a defensive stance.

"Hello," the figure said with a sunshine smile. "Do you have business here, traveller?"

Sanji's eyes widened. This was—it couldn't be—?

"Monsieur Luffy?" he whispered.

Luffy tilted his head. "Have we met?"

"Do you need help?" someone else asked as they popped into existence at Luffy's side. A third figure arrived on his other side. These two wore orange and blue robes respectively.

"Mesdames . . . Nami and Vivi," Sanji said.

They looked at him. "Do we know you?" Nami said.

"He knew my name, too," Luffy said, frowning.

Sanji smiled. "I'm . . . hallucinating . . ." he said, beginning to laugh. "I'm dreaming again . . . this can't be real . . ."

Laughing, he sank to the ground, and his voice faded as he fell unconscious.

* * *

Sanji sat up. His brow furrowed in confusion and he felt his stomach.

"Are you wondering why you're not hungry?"

He jumped and turned his head to find the bed crowded by a group of very strange individuals. A quick glance told him he was in a cavern of some sort.

"I used some magic to stave off your exhaustion," Luffy explained cheerfully. "It won't last for long, so you should find some proper food soon."

Sanji nodded slowly and looked around at the others. When he saw Hancock, he found himself unable to look away, his mouth slack.

Hancock's jaw tightened. She strode out of the room and Sanji snapped out of it.

"That was . . . Madame Hancock," he said wonderingly. "I didn't realize her power was _that_ . . ."

"Oh, for goodness' sake, do you know who everyone is already?" Luffy exclaimed. "There go the fun of introductions!"

"I think so," Sanji said. He turned around so he sat on the bed, his feet touching the floor. He looked around. "Messieurs Luffy, Brook, Chopper, Usopp, and Franky . . . Mesdames Nami, Vivi, Robin, and the one who left was Hancock . . . and Ser Merry."

At the confirming nods, Sanji let out another shaky laugh.

"This is ridiculous," he said weakly, shaking his head. "A mute siren, a blind Gorgon, three faeries, a tanuki, a Valkyrie, a succubus, two dwarfs . . . I never thought I'd find myself _here_ . . ."

Luffy laughed and signed something to Usopp, who scowled.

"I'm _glad_ he didn't mistake me for a goblin, I'll have you know!" he said loudly.

"I did at first," Sanji murmured.

"Monsieur, would you like to come with us to the main room?" Vivi asked. "We can all sit at the table."

"Of course, Madame," Sanji said. He allowed her to help him to his feet, and the crowd went down the passage.

Once everyone was seated (Hancock remained in her own room), Sanji looked around.

"Oh, forgive me, I should introduce myself," Sanji said suddenly. "I'm called Sanji. It's a pleasure to finally meet you all."

"Likewise," Robin said. "Monsieur Sanji, we have . . . _questions_ for you . . . but before that, do you have any questions of your own?"

Sanji glanced around. "What happened . . . to this kingdom?"

"Ah," Nami said. "That's a long story. The short version is that a curse was placed upon everyone to cause eternal sleep."

"Unfortunately, it can't be broken anymore," Merry murmured. "We can only hope the magic wears off on its own."

"It's been a year to this day, in fact," Franky added.

"A year," Sanji murmured, looking down.

Brook signed something. Sanji looked at him curiously.

"'We'd like to ask our questions now, Monsieur Sanji.' . . . He says," Chopper translated.

"Of course."

"How do you know us?" Chopper blurted out.

Sanji looked at the table. "I met you all in . . . my dreams."

"Wow, we appeared in your dreams?" Luffy exclaimed. "I'm flattered!"

"Are you a seer?" Usopp exclaimed.

Franky tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "You know humans can't do things like that."

"What other explanation is there?!"

"It has to do with . . . why I'm travelling," Sanji murmured, causing them to fall silent. "Six years ago . . . I met someone in my dreams."

He hugged his arms to his torso. "I've always been able to control my dreams . . . but something about _him_ was different. He didn't feel like an illusion, and I'd never seen him before . . . we kept meeting, and after the longest time . . . we fell in love."

His voice trembled.

"It was a year ago . . . that he stopped showing up in my dreams. There was no warning or sign it would happen . . . he was just . . . _gone_." Sanji bowed his head. "How stupid must one be to fall in love with a dream?"

"Okay, I'm sorry and all that, but what does this have to do with how you know us?" Nami said impatiently.

"He was the one who introduced me to you," Sanji said. "Monsieur Brook, he said you were teaching him the art of signing . . . Monsieur Chopper, he told me you had the power of flight . . . Madame Hancock had placed a spell upon him, but he said it would be broken easily . . . he said Madame Nami loved gold . . . and Monsieur Luffy, he said you gave him his green hair."

When he realized everyone sans Robin was staring at him, he frowned. "What is it? I know it must sound odd . . ."

Chopper reached under the table, pulled out a leaf, placed it on his head, and transformed in a cloud of smoke. When the air cleared, Sanji's breath caught in his throat. Chopper now had the appearance of a man with a scar on his left eye, green hair, and a steely gaze.

"Is this him?" Chopper asked, transforming back.

"Yes," Sanji whispered. "Yes, that's him!"

"Oh!" Luffy exclaimed. "Then _you_ must be the one Zoro fell in love with! If you two met in dreams, no wonder he didn't want to explain that to le roi Mihawk—"

"He's _real_ , after all?" Sanji said, smiling and on the verge of tears. "I didn't imagine him?"

"He's as real as any of us, Monsieur," Robin said, smiling. "But this means you can break the curse . . ."

"Where is he?" Sanji demanded, not hearing the final words and jumping up. "I have to see him! Please—!"

"Hold still, I'll send you there," Luffy said. He stood and waved his wand over Sanji, who blinked and vanished.

Luffy folded his arms. "Ah, whoops. I forgot to tell him how to break the curse."

"We'll tell him soon," Nami said, standing with Vivi. "Everyone, we're going to the castle as soon as we tell Hancock what happened."

* * *

Sanji stumbled and gathered his bearings. He found himself standing in the castle he'd seen only in his dreams, in the grand throne room.

"Where was it?" he muttered, looking around. He chose a door and barged through, never mind manners, and strode down the corridor.

Not far down, someone appeared in front of him—a little girl, her torso sticking out of the wall. Sanji stumbled to a halt.

"Perona," he said breathlessly. "Madame Perona!"

Perona removed herself from the wall. "You can see me?" she said curiously. "Who are you, anyway? How do you know my name?"

"That's not important—I'm in a hurry," Sanji said. "If it's not too much trouble, would you point me in the direction of le prince?"

Perona's eyes suddenly lit up in recognition. "You're that weird guy from Zoro's dreams, aren't you?" she said delightedly. "You're real after all!"

"Yes, I—please, where is he?"

"Follow me!"

She floated down the hall, Sanji close behind.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as they went along. "For goodness' sake, if you knew where we were this whole time, you should have visited sooner!"

"I came here by accident," Sanji protested. "Monsieur Luffy was—"

"Oh, you met _them_ ," Perona exclaimed as they turned a corner.

"Yes, they explained what had happened—"

"This is it," Perona announced, stopping in front of a door.

Sanji reached for the handle—hesitated—and steeled himself, opening the door.

His breath hitched. On the grand bed in the center of the far wall lay an all-too-familiar figure.

"He's here," he whispered.

He strode forward to the side of the bed and gazed at Zoro's peaceful face. Zoro's arms were laid over his chest and his breathing was even and deep.

"You're real," Sanji said aloud.

Zoro did not stir.

Sanji's brow creased and he shook Zoro. "Wake up . . ."

No response . . . not even a twitch.

Sanji fell to his knees and shook Zoro again, more vigorously this time. "Wake up . . . !"

Nothing.

"All this time," Sanji said shakily, "all this time . . . I can finally _touch_ you, and you don't even know I'm here . . . ?"

He reached his hand up to stroke Zoro's hair.

"It . . . really _is_ soft."

He leaned over and pressed his lips softly to Zoro's slightly parted ones, lingering for a long moment. He withdrew, shaking, and bowed his head over the bed.

"Please . . ." he whispered, not noticing Zoro's eye slide open. "Please, wake up . . ."

He looked up at a sudden movement and was met with a fist in his face. His arm flew up protectively.

"Hey!" Zoro snapped, half-asleep and sitting up at last. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! What kind of pervert kisses someone while they're sleeping?!"

Sanji covered his face and another punch met his forearm. He fell backwards, his head turned away, too shocked to speak.

"Speak up!" Zoro yelled, climbing out of bed and stumbling. He aimed a kick, hitting Sanji's chest.

"Zoro, what are you doing?!" Perona yelled, hovering by the door.

Zoro looked up. "This guy was making a move on me while I was sleeping!" he exclaimed. Suddenly he looked around, frowning. "What exactly happened, though . . . ? I remember falling asleep after . . ."

"ZORO!"  
"Monsieur Zoro!"

Zoro and Perona turned to see Luffy, Nami, and Vivi, the three having apparated into the room.

"You're awake!" Luffy exclaimed in delight, hurrying forward with the others. "Oh, it's been too long!"

He and Vivi grabbed him in a quick hug.

"Too long?" Zoro said, frowning. "How long . . . ?"

"A year to this day," Nami said, folding her arms. "The curse went awry and the entire kingdom's been sleeping for months."

"Oh," Zoro said dumbly.

Vivi glanced down. "Er . . . why is he on the ground . . . ?"

Zoro scowled. "That guy tried to make a move on me while I was asleep, so I taught him a lesson."

He didn't see Sanji straighten up as Luffy said cheerfully, "I guess he figured out how to break the curse on his own."

Zoro folded his arms. "How was it broken, anyhow?"

"The term was a kiss of true love," Vivi explained. "You see, the original plan was to have le roi Mihawk wake you, but he fell asleep moments after you did . . ."

Zoro frowned. "Love . . . ? Hang on, then who's—?"

He turned around just as a well-aimed kick sent him stumbling backwards.

"What kind of person greets someone by punching them?!" Sanji yelled, aiming another kick, which Zoro blocked with his arms. His eyes widened for a moment when he saw just who he was dealing with, but this soon passed.

"You're the one who kissed me while I was sleeping!" Zoro yelled as Mihawk entered the room, awake at last and alerted by the noise.

"It woke you up, didn't it?!"

"Hello, mon roi," Luffy said cheerfully to Mihawk.

"What happened?" Mihawk asked, staring at the fight.

"Oh, we'll explain later," Nami said, waving a hand.

"But did you _know_ it would wake me up?!" Zoro yelled as he and Sanji continued to trade blows.

"No, but—!"

Zoro abruptly caught Sanji's next kick with one hand, forcing him to come to a halt.

"Good to finally see you in person," he said, smiling.

Sanji removed himself from Zoro's grasp and straightened up. "You, too," he muttered.

They grabbed each other in a tight hug.

"You're so warm," Sanji murmured. "You're _real_ . . ."

"Aye," Zoro said gruffly, closing his eye. "Thanks for . . . breaking the curse."

"Anytime."

Mihawk cleared his throat. "Zoro, who is this?"

"Father—" Zoro said in greeting, pulling away from Sanji.

"I'm called Sanji, mon roi," Sanji said politely, bowing. "It's an odd story, but we've been courting for some time now."

"Am I going to be in the dark about everything?" Mihawk said flatly, raising an eyebrow.

Sanji suddenly swayed where he stood, and Zoro reached out and caught him in his arms as he passed out.

"I forgot to mention, he hasn't eaten for awhile," Luffy said.

"Oh, damn," Zoro muttered, supporting him. He looked around. "Father, if the kitchen staff is up to it, would you mind—?"

"I was going to order a feast for tomorrow, so I was going there anyway," Mihawk said, turning. "We should celebrate this, shouldn't we?"

"If you'd like, we can go and explain what happened to everyone," Luffy offered cheerfully as Zoro dragged Sanji to the bed. "It was partially our fault, after all."

"Please do," Mihawk said. He left the room and the faeries vanished themselves.

"Do you want some help with him?" Perona asked as Zoro hoisted Sanji up in his arms.

"How can you help?" Zoro muttered.

"Verbal support."

"I'll pass."

He laid Sanji on the bed and knelt next to him. Sanji's eyes fluttered open and he glanced to the side to see Zoro watching him.

"You're a cook, aren't you?" Zoro said sternly. "Shouldn't you know better than anyone how important eating is?"

Sanji sighed. "Leave me alone . . ."

Zoro's face softened. "How did you come here, anyway?"

"I was . . . travelling," Sanji murmured. "Heard of . . . a sleeping kingdom at a tavern. Came here . . . Monsieur Luffy and the others told me you were here . . ."

He smiled weakly. "You don't know . . . how happy I am . . . I hadn't seen you for _months_ , and to find out . . . you were here all along . . ."

Zoro brushed some hair away from Sanji's forehead. "Rest, okay?" he murmured. "We'll get some food into you soon enough."

Sanji gave a single nod before he let his eyes fall shut again. Zoro got up onto the bed next to him and lay on his side, resting his head on Sanji's chest.

"Should I go?" Perona offered, hovering near the bed, smirking.

"If you like," Zoro muttered.

He nearly fell asleep himself listening to Sanji's heartbeat.


	12. Soft Breeze

Three days had passed since the curse had been broken. Sanji had made a full recovery and he and Zoro spent nearly all their time together, making up for years they had missed not being fully in each other's company.

"Pardon me, Monsieur," Sanji said to Mihawk, "would you permit me to make use of the kitchen?"

"Whatever for?" Mihawk asked.

Sanji smiled. "I'm a cook, you see, and I haven't had the chance to make something in a good while . . . not to mention," he added, turning to Zoro, "you'd love to try my wonderful cooking, wouldn't you?"

"How should I know?" Zoro said, scratching his head.

Sanji scowled. "Of all the—"

"I don't know if it's wonderful or whatever," Zoro pointed out. "I should be the judge of that _after_ I have it."

"That's fair," Sanji admitted. He turned to Mihawk expectantly.

"Very well," Mihawk said. "Be sure not to make a mess."

"Of course!"

When Zoro tried the food at last, Sanji hovering expectantly, he said nothing, but delight shone on his face and he devoured the meal sooner than anything he'd ever had before. Sanji smiled in relief.

* * *

"What are you staring at?" Zoro muttered to Perona. She floated just ahead of him and Sanji, watching them intently as they walked.

"You two look really good together," she remarked, smiling.

They glanced at each other.

"Er . . . thank you, Madame," Sanji said politely.

"I'm just trying to say I'm happy for you!"

"Right," Zoro muttered, glancing at Sanji and brushing some stray hairs on his forehead aside.

As the three entered the throne room, they were surprised to be met with Luffy, Nami, Vivi, Hancock, and Merry in the throne room, where Mihawk sat in his seat.

"You guys," Zoro said, smiling.

"Zoro!" Luffy said, waving. "Sanji!"

"Hello, Messieurs," Vivi said with a smile.

Zoro glanced at Sanji, but he was staring at Hancock, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. She scowled at him.

"Either control yourself or leave the room," Zoro snapped, punching him lightly to get his attention. Sanji shook his head and glanced at Zoro.

"Forgive me, Madame Hancock," he said, keeping his gaze away. "I don't mean to be rude, I assure you—"

"Think nothing of it," Hancock said coolly. Sanji, thankfully, had enough self-control to keep himself from staring again.

"So, Hancock, do you have something you'd like to say?" Nami asked, the hint of a threat in her voice.

Hancock faced Mihawk and bowed as low as she was able.

"Mon roi Mihawk," she said respectfully, "I deeply apologize for my actions on that day, and I sincerely regret what they brought about. I . . . beg your forgiveness, and I hope we shall no longer be enemies."

It was clear she had rehearsed this. Mihawk eyed her thoughtfully.

"Very well," he said at last, standing. He approached her. "Madame, raise your head."

She looked up, hands clasped behind her back.

Mihawk offered his hand. "I accept your apologies . . . for the sake of this kingdom and my family."

"Many thanks," she replied with a small smile, taking his hand and shaking it. They nodded to each other before Hancock stepped back to stand with Luffy, who gave her a grin of approval, at which she nearly melted.

"Merry?" Zoro said. "Why are you here?"

Merry smiled rather sadly. "I'm here to escort Madame Perona . . . if she so chooses."

Perona stared at Merry, who looked at her expectantly.

"So _you're_ . . ." she said in awe.

"Aye," Merry said. "Are you ready?"

Perona turned to Zoro and Sanji and placed her hands through their shoulders. It was as if someone had soaked their shirtsleeves in ice water.

"I had fun with you morons," she said, smiling. "Don't miss me too much when I'm gone! Next time, don't be idiots and wait to confess for a year!"

"Hey," Zoro muttered. He smiled. "Wherever you end up, I hope you'll be happy."

Sanji nodded, having nothing more to say. Perona's face screwed up and she turned away.

"I'm ready," she announced.

"Right," Merry said, their voice already trembling. "We should go . . . somewhere private."

The two left the room, Perona floating through the wall. The others watched them go.

"What just happened?" Mihawk asked.

* * *

Merry returned in a right state, and the others decided it was time to go back to la Colline. They bade farewell to Zoro, Sanji, and Mihawk before departing.

"I guess . . . she's really gone," Zoro murmured. "I never thought I'd miss her . . ."

"I'm sure she'll be happy," Sanji said, squeezing his hand.

* * *

"I have an idea," Zoro announced as the sun set that day.

"Oh? Do tell," Sanji murmured.

"Let's get married."

Sanji whipped around and stared at him, eyes wide.

"What?" Zoro said. "We'll be able to share a bed once we're married, right? Father's been insistent on separate rooms this week, not to _mention_ we _have_ been together for a good two years, so it only makes sense—"

"What kind of proposal method is _that_?!" Sanji yelled, aiming a kick at Zoro's shoulder, which Zoro ducked away from. "How can you be so casual about it?!"

"What does it matter?!" Zoro yelled, throwing a punch, which Sanji dodged. "Do you accept or not?!"

"Of course I accept! Why wouldn't I want to marry you?!" Sanji yelled, tackling Zoro to the ground and pinching his cheeks.

"Well—good!" Zoro snapped, pulling Sanji's hands away. "That's settled!"

"Good! I'm glad!"

"Good!"

"Excellent!"

Zoro pulled Sanji's face towards him and they kissed.

* * *

Mihawk had shrugged and approved of the wedding, adding that a messenger would be sent to Sanji's father informing him of the event. Due to the distance, the marriage would be held in one month.

It was decided that since Zoro had no siblings and Duval had claim on leadership by age, Sanji would live in Zoro's castle. Mihawk stated that while neither would take over the position of King (or Kings) while he still lived, he would be happy to involve them in decisions on behalf of the kingdom.

Zoro and Sanji visited la Colline and informed their friends of the upcoming wedding, inviting them all to attend. Usopp, Franky, and Hancock had been reluctant, but with coaxing they were convinced to accept.

* * *

"Your family's here," Mihawk announced to Sanji, the door half-open.

Sanji and Zoro looked up, their ongoing argument of whether Sanji looked best in pink or blue paused.

"I . . . thank you," Sanji said. He stood and straightened out his clothes, glancing at Zoro. "Are you coming?"

"Of course," Zoro said, standing with him.

Sanji took his hand; they started walking to the throne room, Mihawk leading the way.

"It's been some time since I've seen them," Sanji murmured.

Zoro squeezed his hand.

They reached the throne room and found Duval and Zeff waiting for them. Duval's face lit up when he saw Sanji, but Zeff held him back with an arm and a stern look.

"I've already explained the circumstances," Mihawk said, standing to the side.

Sanji nodded. "Father," he said, facing Zeff, "this is . . . Zoro. My . . . fiancé."

Zoro cleared his throat. "It's, ah," he mumbled, "a pleasure to . . . meet you."

Zeff folded his arms and glared at Sanji. "Two months," he said. "Two months, and the first word from you is you're to be wed."

Sanji nodded.

"I don't like it," Zeff stated, eyeing Zoro suspiciously. "To have you taking my son away when I know nothing about you . . ."

Zoro swallowed nervously.

"But I won't stop you," Zeff finished. "If Sanji trusts you to take care of him, then I will, too."

"Thank you, Monsieur," Zoro said with a small bow.

"Wait, what do you mean, 'take care of?'" Sanji demanded, temper flaring. "If anything, _he's_ the one who needs taking care of here!"

"Look who's talking!" Zoro snapped, glaring at him. "Which one of us didn't eat for five days due to heartbreak?!"

"You shut your mouth, _you're_ the one who went and got yourself cursed—"

"I was an _infant_ , _do_ forgive me if I can't change _fate_ —"

Duval strode forward and pushed them apart, breaking up the quarrel. "Now, now, this is a joyous occasion!" he proclaimed. "Young lovers should not fight!"

"Hey, Duval," Sanji said, glancing up. "It's been too long."

Duval grabbed Sanji in a headlock. "Indeed it has, little brother! When I heard you were to be wed, I shed tears of joy! To think my young sibling shall marry before I, ah, it borderlines on being a tale of tragedy—"

"Holy . . . you were not exaggerating about the theatrics," Zoro remarked, stepping back.

"Help me out here," Sanji muttered, wrestling Duval.

"No, I believe in you."

"And _you're_ to be my new brother!" Duval exclaimed, letting go of Sanji and turning on Zoro. "The Man of Mystery from Sanji's dreams!"

"Uh . . . yes," Zoro said, leaning away.

Duval grabbed him in a headlock. "This is your initiation into the family!"

"Help me out here!" Zoro exclaimed to Sanji, wrestling with the grip.

"No, I believe in you."

Ignoring them, Sanji approached Zeff and they embraced.

"Sorry for leaving for so long," Sanji muttered.

"You have to tell me next time you have an affair like this," Zeff muttered in return.

"It's not like there _will_ be a next time . . ."

* * *

Zoro stood at the altar, fidgeting as he did his best to stand tall in one place. The crowd was large, and he could see his friends in the front row. Hancock had covered herself quite a bit more than usual, though she still drew some stares and faint murmurs.

Sanji was finally led down the aisle. Zoro's breath caught in his throat when he saw him. Sanji wore a dark blue suit, bringing out his eyes (or eye) stunningly. As he made it down and stood in front of Zoro, Zoro couldn't help but stare.

Likewise, Sanji's gaze was caught by Zoro, wearing a green suit to complement his hair, and he smiled nervously.

The man to their side cleared his throat. "We are gathered here today," he said in a squeaky voice, "to celebrate the wedding of le prince Zoro and le prince Sanji, in holy matrimony . . ."

He continued on for so long many members of the audience began to nod off, including the speaker himself. It was only when Zoro nudged him did he jolt awake and look around frantically.

"Er, yes," he said quickly. "Do you, le prince Zoro, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband . . ."

"I do," Zoro said, barely hearing the rest of the vows.

The man turned to Sanji and read off the same words.

"I do," Sanji said, rather choked-up.

"I pronounce you wed," the man announced. "You may now k—"

Sanji didn't wait for him to finish before he flung his arms around Zoro and kissed him full on the mouth. Startled, it took Zoro a moment for his thoughts to catch up with what was happening, but when they did, he relaxed and kissed Sanji in return.

The audience stood and cheered; Duval, Franky, and Usopp could be heard sobbing loudly in the front row.

The after-marriage party began. Sanji had helped cook the food for the feast, which of course meant it was excellent beyond compare.

Zoro and Sanji were swarmed by friends and citizens in congratulations, and both were relieved when the others finally backed off.

"So?" Sanji murmured. "Do you still think I look better in pink?"

"Hey, Luffy!" Zoro called, waving him over. Luffy's face was stuffed with food to the point where he resembled a chipmunk. "Could you turn this guy's suit pink?"

Luffy swallowed his food, coughed, and grinned. "Sure thing!"

"Hey—!" Sanji protested, but one point of the wand later and his suit was pale pink.

"See, you look better in pink," Zoro proclaimed.

"I'm not saying I don't look good, but blue is _clearly_ my color—Monsieur Luffy, please change it back—"

Luffy had already wandered away. Sanji rolled his eyes.

Zoro glanced around. Hancock was clinging to Luffy while a few folk trailed towards her curiously, though she shooed them away with a glare. Chopper was in a corner, entertaining folk with his transformations, while Usopp and Franky hung by the wall, staying away from the crowds as was their want.

A tap on his shoulder made Zoro turn around with Sanji. Brook waved to them and signed something, holding up his violin.

"Certainly," Zoro said with a nod. "I'm sure everyone will love it. Make sure to let the orchestra know when you're done so they'll be able to play their set."

Brook nodded and went near the front of the room. He tapped the table to get the audience's attention, raised his instrument, and began to play.

A hush fell over the crowd and everyone stood stock-still in awe. The non-human ones were less affected but still ever in admiration of Brook's skills. The melody flowed through them like the sea, filled with beauty and wonder.

When Brook finally lowered his violin and bowed, it took a moment for everyone to snap themselves out of it. But soon they applauded, leaving Brook smiling brightly as he rejoined his friends.

"I didn't think it was so . . ." Sanji murmured.

"I know," Zoro said. He grinned. "Your mouth was hanging open, you looked so—"

"Oh, shut up," Sanji hissed, his ears turning red. The orchestra began to play, and the citizens gradually began dancing. Zoro looked around to see Nami and Vivi swaying together on the floor, while Brook led Robin, and Luffy and Hancock swung each other around. For some reason, Mihawk and Zeff ended up dancing together as well.

"May I have this dance?" Zoro asked, a smile tugging at his lips. The song was the same one Sanji had brought about in the dream that night so long ago.

Sanji pursed his lips. "Well . . . I suppose so," he said as if reluctant, though he grinned as he and Zoro took each other's hands and began to spin slowly across the floor.

Zoro rested his head on Sanji's shoulder. "You're wonderful."

"You would know, you're the wonderful one here," Sanji muttered, kissing his forehead.

"Oh, shut it," Zoro muttered, leaning in to kiss Sanji's nose.

They drew themselves closer together, relishing in the ability to feel each other's touch, each other's warmth . . .

* * *

The festivities ended all too soon. Gradually, the crowd dispersed; Zoro and Sanji's friends went on their way back to la Colline after bidding farewell and making them promise to visit soon.

The departure of Duval and Zeff was much louder, due solely to Duval's sobbing. Sanji was forced to promise to visit eventually, to which Zoro insisted on accompanying him.

But soon, they too left.

* * *

"Our own bed at last," Sanji said happily as he and Zoro prepared for bedtime. "One of the perks of marriage . . ."

"Mm," Zoro murmured. He and Sanji climbed into bed, a candle still lit on a small dish.

Sanji played with his hair, facing away. "So . . ." he murmured, shifting awkwardly, "if you'd like to . . . that is . . ."

He looked at Zoro and found him fast asleep already.

"How did you—oh, another time, then," he muttered with a small scowl. He could not keep this on for long when he gazed upon Zoro's peaceful face.

The candle was blown out and Sanji adjusted the covers, pushing his head into the crook of Zoro's neck. Lulled by the warmth and the soothing heartbeat, he too fell into slumber.

* * *

Zoro and Sanji looked around in the throne room of the castle, both dreaming deeply.

"Oh," Zoro said.

"Well, then," Sanji said.

They grinned.

"Is there anything you want to do?"

"I'm sure we'll figure something out."

In the bed, they unconsciously snuggled closer to each other.

* * *

~Fin~

* * *

 **Story's done! Thanks for all your support, everyone!**


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